African researchers have proposed setting up a multicountry research group to mitigate against recurring epidemics in Africa and prevent future pandemics. The planned Mpox Research Consortium (MpoxReC) was announced during the Mpox in Africa--High-Level Emergency Regional Meeting, held in the Democratic Republic of Congo from 11 to 13 April. "We propose the establishment of an African-led multi-disciplinary, multicountry Mpox Research Consortium (MpoxReC) in Africa with the overarching goal of establishing a research network to advance the elimination of mpox," Jean B. Nachega (Professor Extraordinary of Medicine Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases Stellenbosch University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences) told the meeting.
Mpox is endemic to 12 countries in Africa
Nachega said Africa has faced a long-standing unmet need for sustainable local diagnostic laboratories and research capacity for mpox.
"MpoxReC will address these needs and provide outcome monitoring and surveillance across endemic African countries while simultaneously contributing to much-needed South-South, multi-disciplinary, and inter-professional research collaborations and capacity-building," he said. He said the continent needs to share national and regional epidemic preparedness frameworks on the disease.
The research group, which includes global partners and African collaborators, will initially focus on Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Republic of Congo. Professor Nadia Sam-Agudu will lead researchers at the University of Cape Coast Ghana, Professor Samuel Nakoune Yandoko will head the team at Pasteur Institute in Bangui, the Central African Republic, co-principal investigators Professor Jean-Jacques Muyembe and Professor Placide Mbala will represent the DRC's Institute National Research Biomedical, Professor Dimie Ogoina from Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital will represent Nigeria, Cameroon's Pasteur Institute research team will be led by Professor Richard Njouom and Congo will be led by Professor Francine Ntoumi from the Congolese Foundation for Medical Research. Expansion to other African countries will take place later.
