More than 1,100 people have died from mpox in Africa, where nearly 48,000 cases have been recorded since January, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

Cases were still rising in many countries as the continent struggled to contain another major outbreak, coming on the heels of Covid-19, which had exposed Africa’s weak healthcare system.

“The situation is not yet under control. Overall we are still on an upward trend,” Ngashi Ngongo, Africa CDC chief of staff and head of the executive office, said in an online briefing. he said.

So far, 19 countries in Africa have reported cases of mpox, after an infection was detected in Mauritius, which attracts tourists with its stunning white beaches and clear waters.

The situation was particularly worrying in Uganda, which reported its first death from the virus this week.

The Africa CDC has warned that there are insufficient funds to control the epidemic.

“What we need is sustained political and financial mobilization,” Ngongo said, adding that mpox was the necessary measure to prevent another pandemic “much more severe than Covid-19.”

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans from infected animals, but can also be passed from person to person through close physical contact.

The viral disease associated with smallpox causes fever, body aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that develops into blisters, and has two main subtypes: class 1 and class 2.

The United Kingdom announced on Wednesday that it had detected the first case in the country of class 1b, the latest variant of mpox.

The majority of deaths have occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is the epicenter of the outbreak and launched a vaccination campaign earlier this month.

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