GOMA, Congo (AP) — Some health officials say: mpox Cases in Congo appear to be “stabilizing”; this is a possible sign of the main outbreak for which the World Health Organization is taking action. global emergency declaration There may be a decrease in August.

According to WHO, approximately 200 to 300 laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox have been reported each week in Congo in recent weeks. This is down from around 400 cases per week in July. The decrease can be seen as follows: kamitugaThe mining city in eastern Congo where the new, more contagious version of mpox first emerged.

But the U.N. health agency acknowledged Friday that only 40 percent to 50 percent of suspected infections in Congo have been tested and that the virus continues to spread in some parts of the country and elsewhere, including Uganda.

Although doctors are encouraged by the decline in infections in some parts of Congo, it is still unclear what type of physical contact is driving the outbreak. Health experts are also disappointed by the small number of vaccine doses the Central African country has received – 265,000 – and say it is difficult to get the vaccine to where it is needed in the sprawling country. WHO estimates that 50,000 people have been vaccinated in Congo, which has a population of 110 million.

Scientists also say that urgent intervention is needed. broader vaccination effort for the entire continent To stop and further prevent the spread of MPOX worrying genetic mutationsIt is similar to the one detected in Congo earlier this year after months of low-level circulation.

Dr., who manages the operations of the aid organization Alima in Congo. “If we miss this opportunity, the likelihood of another significant outbreak increases significantly,” Zakary Rhissa said.

There have been nearly 43,000 suspected cases in Africa so far this year. 1000 people diedmostly in Congo.

“We have seen how past epidemics, such as the one in Nigeria in 2017, can lead to larger global events if not effectively contained,” he said. 2017 pandemic led to 2022 global mpox epidemic It affected more than 100 countries.

Rhissa said cases in Kamituga, where mpox first spread, are decreasing. sex workers and miners – is an opening to roll out more programs for vaccination, surveillance and education.

Georgette Hamuli, an 18-year-old sex worker, was unaware of mpox until vaccination teams arrived in the poor neighborhood where she works in Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city, last week.

“They told us we were very exposed to the risk of infection,” he said. “We insist on condoms with our customers, but some refuse… if they don’t want to use condoms, they double the amount they pay.”

Hamuli said she and other friends who are sex workers received 2,000 Congolese francs ($0.70) from a charity to get vaccinated against mpox, but that money wasn’t what impressed her.

“Vaccination is also necessary,” he said. “I think we’re protected now.”

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates Congo needs at least 3 million mpox vaccines to stop the virus, while the rest of Africa needs 7 million. So far WHO and partners have allocated 900,000 vaccines to nine African countries affected by mpox and expect 6 million vaccines to be ready by the end of this year.

Mpox outbreaks in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda originated in Congo, and large numbers of cases have also been detected in travelers in Sweden, Thailand, Germany, India and Britain.

Less than half of the people most at risk in Congo have been vaccinated, according to Heather Kerr, the International Rescue Committee’s Congo director.

“We have very little vaccine available and nothing for children,” he said.

Vaccines for Congo come largely from donor countries like the United States and through UNICEF, which uses mostly taxpayer money to purchase the vaccines.

Duke University Global Health Institute director Dr. “We are faced with a philanthropic approach as we see only very small vaccine donations to Africa,” Chris Beyrer said. “What we need is a public health approach where we can vaccinate populations at scale.”

Bavaria Nordic, the drugmaker that produces the most widely used mpox vaccine, said it would sell the vaccines for Africa at the lowest possible price.

Advocacy group Public Citizen estimates that UNICEF paid $65 per dose of the Jynneos mpox vaccine produced by Bavaria Scandinavia; This figure is much higher than almost any other vaccine used in public health programs.

Infectious diseases specialist Dr. from the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. Salim Abdool Karim said mpox outbreaks usually peak and disappear quickly due to the way the virus spreads. But this time, he said, there are two factors complicating the situation: the virus being transmitted through sex and the continued spread from infected animals.

“This time we are in new territory with mpox,” he added. “But we will never solve this until we vaccinate the majority of our people.”

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Cheng reported from London.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Education Media Group. AP is solely responsible for all content.