By Correspondent
Harare is on high alert for mpox disease which has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by WHO.
96 percent of the cases of the disease, formerly known as monkeypox, have been recorded in DRC.
However, Uganda, and Rwanda are among the 16 African countries that have been affected.
The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have also ramped up efforts over the surge of mpox cases across Africa.
Meanwhile, WHO and Africa CDC have also declared the epidemic a public health emergency.
According to Council there have been “more than 17,000 suspected or confirmed cases and a devastating death toll of 500 deaths in at least 12 countries.
“The epidemic has surpassed the scale of previous years.
“The case fatality rate is at 3.2%.
Council added that, the situation is alarming with the rapid spread among newly at-risk populations.
This has resulted in the spread of the disease to areas that have never experienced mpox.
Common symptoms are skin rash or pus-filled lesions which can last two to four weeks.
The rashes can be located anywhere on the body and some people may only have one, while others can have hundreds or more.
The other symptoms include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes and exhaustion.
There is currently no definitive treatment for the disease except supportive treatment.
Vaccination prevents the disease but the vaccines are in short supply.
Outbreaks are caused by different mpox viruses known as clades, with the clade 1 strain circulating in the DRC for many years.
The emergence of a new offshoot, clade 1b, and its rapid spread, was one of the primary reasons WHO declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
