Sadc calls ‘urgent’ health ministers meeting over mpox outbreak

Dar es Salaam. The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) leaders have directed the secretariat of the regional organisation to convene “an urgent meeting” of health ministers to assess the impact of monkeypox (mpox) and facilitate coordinated regional response to control the spread of the disease.

The outbreak of mpox, the highly infectious disease, has spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to neighbouring countries.

At least 13 African countries, including previously unaffected nations like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, have reported mpox outbreaks, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

The African Union’s health watchdog, mandated to lead and coordinate responses to significant health emergencies on the continent, has already declared the ongoing Mpox outbreak a public health emergency of continental security (PHECS), marking the first such declaration by the agency since its inception in 2017.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also declared that the upsurge of mpox in the DRC and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

Sadc now wants to join the continental and global efforts to respond to the mpox outbreak and ensure heightened surveillance.

“The summit urged member states to strengthen disease surveillance, diagnosis testing and clinical care, infection prevention and control, as well as awareness-raising of the disease at all levels of the community,” Sadc said in a communiqué after the Saturday summit, which was attended by heads of state and government.

“The summit also noted the mpox situation on the continent and in the Sadc region; the declaration by the WHO of mpox as a public health emergency of international concern (PHIEC); the declaration of Mpox as a public health emergency of continental security (PHECS) by the Africa CD,” the communiqué stated, adding that the summit extended solidarity and support to member states affected by Mpox and further requested the WHO, Africa CDC, and other partners to avail resources towards the mpox response in the region.

So far in 2024, the countries have confirmed 2,863 cases and 517 deaths, primarily in the DRC, it stated.

Suspected cases across the continent have surged past 17,000, a significant increase from 7,146 cases in 2022 and 14,957 cases in 2023.

‘Tanzania safe’
Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, with two distinct clades: Clade I and Clade II.

Common symptoms include a skin rash or mucosal lesions lasting 2–4 weeks, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.

The virus can be transmitted to humans through physical contact with an infectious person, contaminated materials, or infected animals.

Tanzania has not reported any case of the mpox so far but alerted public to take precaution measures.

Chief medical officer, Prof Tumaini Nagu, said in a statement at the weekend that Tanzania is still safe from mpox but urged the public to take precautions because the disease was reported in some neighbouring countries.

“So far, no patient has been confirmed to have mpox infections, and our country is safe,” said Prof Nagu.

“However, we need to continue taking precautions to protect ourselves from this disease,” she added.