Mpox Outbreaks Declared in Kenya and Central African Republic. The Race Is on to Contain the Spread

Kenya and the Central African Republic have declared new outbreaks of mpox as Africa’s health officials race to contain the spread of the disease in a region lacking vaccines. Nairobi announced the outbreak on Wednesday, after a case was detected in a passenger traveling from Uganda to Rwanda at a border crossing in southern Kenya. The Central African Republic was the first to declare a new outbreak on Monday, saying it extends to its capital of Bangui…Although the mpox epidemics in the West were contained with the help of vaccines and treatments, barely any have been available in parts of Africa where several countries have reported outbreaks in recent months. The worst hit on the continent is Congo, which has recorded more than 12,000 cases and at least 470 deaths this year in its biggest outbreak. South Africa, which last recorded an mpox case in 2022, has also reported an outbreak this year. (AP)