Addis Ababa: The death toll from the ongoing monkeypox outbreak in Africa has reached 1,200, with the number of cases reported so far this year surpassing 62,000, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

 During an online media briefing Thursday evening, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said 20 African countries had reported 62,171 monkeypox cases since the start of this year, of which 13,579 were confirmed, and the death toll had risen to 1,200.

Data from the African Union's specialized healthcare agency show that during last week alone, the African continent reported 2,708 new cases, including 565 confirmed cases and 36 deaths, Xinhua news agency reported.

"If we compare from the first week of January to the final week of November 2024, we have an increase of more than 716 percent (compared to the entire 2023). If we continue with this trend, for sure, by the end of December, we will have more than 800 percent increase of cases compared to 2023," Kaseya said. "This is evidence that after the COVID-19 pandemic, monkeypox is the largest outbreak that Africa is facing."

The Africa CDC chief added that the African continent is presently facing different monkeypox outbreaks, with the combination of four strains of the virus. "In some places, we have a combination of different clades, and this is what makes monkeypox more complicated in terms of appropriate response."

Monkeypox was first detected in laboratory monkeys in 1958. It is a rare viral disease typically spread through body fluids, respiratory droplets, and other contaminated materials. The infection usually causes fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes.

In mid-August, the Africa CDC declared the ongoing monkeypox outbreak in Africa a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security. Soon after, the World Health Organization also declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, activating its highest level of global alert for monkeypox for the second time in two years.

(IANS)