Africa Fights Monkeypox Without Vaccines As Death Toll Rises

The vast majority of deaths due to monkeypox have been registered on the African continent - yet Africa remains the only part of the world with no doses of the vaccine, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The World Health Organisation declared monkeypox a new global health emergency after 20,000 cases were reported in 77 countries. Some 75 people have died in the 11 African countries where the disease was recorded, the acting head of the African Centre for Disease Control, Ahmed Ogwell has said.

While the disease was already present on the continent in Central and West Africa before the global spread, it was detected in Europe, North America and Asia in May 2022.

Monkeypox on the continent was mainly spread to people via infected rodents - while in Europe and North America, people with no links to animals or recent trips to the African continent seem to be contracting the disease.

WHO has stressed that anyone can be infected with monkeypox if they are in close contact with someone with the disease or if they touch contaminated clothing or sheets. However, researchers are still looking into how it is spread via skin-to-skin contact.

Both the U.S. and Europe have secured doses after a number of delays; the European Commission reported it has purchased 160,000 vaccines, while the U.S. has obtained some 800,000 doses that will soon be distributed, reports Radio France Internationale.