The estimated budget for the six-month plan is about $600 million, with 55 percent allocated to responding to the monkeypox outbreak in 14 countries and strengthening preparedness in 15 others, while 45 percent is directed toward operational and technical support through partners, said Jean Kasia, director general of the Africa CDC.
Cassia said the plan is based on surveillance, laboratory testing and community engagement, stressing that vaccines are not enough to combat the outbreak.
The organization announced that since the beginning of 2024, 5,549 confirmed cases of monkeypox have appeared across the continent, and 643 associated deaths, in a sharp increase in infections and deaths compared to previous years. Cases in the Congo accounted for 91 percent of the total.
Most monkeypox cases in Congo and Burundi, the second-most affected country, have been among children under 15 years of age.
Congo receives vaccines
The plan was announced a day after the first batch of monkeypox vaccines arrived in the capital of Congo, the epicentre of the outbreak.
The European Union has donated 100,000 doses of a vaccine manufactured by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic, through the EU’s Health Emergency Agency (HERA).
Congolese authorities said another 100,000 doses were expected to be delivered on Saturday.
It is scheduled to be Unicef Responsible for the vaccination campaign in most of the aff
ected areas, according to Roger Kamba, Minister of Health in Congo, to journalists after receiving the vaccine. But it is still unclear when actual vaccination will begin.
What is monkeypox?
monkeypox It is a disease caused by virus It is zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans, and it also spreads between people.
The disease is called “monkeypox” because it was first identified in colonies of monkeys kept for research in 1958. It was only later discovered in humans in 1970.
Monkeypox, which affects most age groups, does not spread easily between people and most people recover within a few weeks. In most cases, the symptoms of the disease go away on their own within a few weeks, but in some individuals, the symptoms can lead to medical complications.
In newborns, children and people with immunodeficiency, these are at risk of developing more severe symptoms, according to Global Health Organization.
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