Continental Health Body Launches Pan-African Study On Mpox
The Africa Centre Disease Control (CDC), with global health partners, has announced the launch of a "pivotal" clinical trial to advance research for mpox treatment across the continent.
In a statement, Africa's health body said the study will begin by evaluating the safety and efficacy of brincidofovir, an antiviral currently approved for smallpox in the U.S.
"Africa is not just responding to the mpox outbreak, we are leading the charge in finding solutions by spearheading research and development for mpox therapeutics," said Africa CDC Director General, Dr. Jean Kaseya. He said the mpox study is a "groundbreaking step" towards developing an effective treatment to save lives.
The disease was declared a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security in August 2024.
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Africa:
Driving Pan-African Research Collaboration - Panther and Africa CDC Launch the Mpox Study in Africa
Africa CDC, 7 November 2024
As critical discussions at the World Health Summit in Berlin conclude, the Africa CDC, in partnership with PANTHER, proudly announces its first direct contribution to the Mpox… Read more »
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Africa:
How Mpox Anti-Vaxx Conspiracies Target and Stigmatise LGBTQ+ People
The Conversation Africa, 14 October 2024
According to some conspiracy theorists posting on alternative, uncensored social media networks, Mpox is another "scamdemic", created by a powerful elite to cull populations and… Read more »
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Nigeria:
Using Mathematical Modeling for Effective Infectious Disease Control in Nigeria
Nigeria Health Watch, 12 October 2024
Infectious diseases can spread rapidly and unpredictably, catching communities off guard. However, mathematical modelling can be a powerful tool to anticipate and prepare for… Read more »
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Congo-Kinshasa:
Mpox Preys On People Already Sapped By War in DR Congo, MSF Says
Thomson Reuters Foundation, 30 September 2024
In packed camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo, people displaced by war have little to eat, nowhere to wash and little privacy, leaving them critically exposed to mpox,… Read more »
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Africa:
Gavi Signs Agreement With Bavarian Nordic to Rapidly Secure 500,000 Doses of Mpox Vaccines for Africa
GAVI, 18 September 2024
The advance purchase agreement (APA) will be funded by Gavi's First Response Fund, a mechanism created after the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure rapid access to scarce vaccine supplies… Read more »
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Africa:
WHO Prequalifies First Vaccine Against Mpox
WHO, 13 September 2024
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the MVA-BN vaccine as the first vaccine against mpox to be added to its prequalification list. Read more »
InFocus
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The Rwanda Minister of State responsible for Health, Dr. Yvan Butera, has cautioned that while the country is beginning to see positive signals in its fight against the Marburg virus, the outbreak is "not yet over". He, however, expressed hope that "we are headed in that direction". Meanwhile the Africa Centers for Disease Control has said that mpox - the other infectious disease outbreak that countries in the region are fighting - was still on an upward trend,
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The World Health Organization has taken steps to improve global access to Mpox testing by approving the first in vitro diagnostic (IVD) under its Emergency Use Listing. The decision is crucial to expanding diagnostic capacity in countries facing Mpox outbreaks, where the need for accurate testing has risen sharply.
The continued spread of the virus on the continent is blamed on limited testing. Over 30,000 suspected cases have been reported across the region this year, the WHO
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Vials of Mpox vaccine.
InFocus
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Zimbabwe reported its first two cases of mpox, shortly after Zambia confirmed its first case. The specific variants of the virus in Zimbabwe are undetermined, but those infected either traveled from or visited Tanzania and South Africa.
Zimbabwe's neighbour Zambia
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