Pretoria – President Cyril Ramaphosa has moved to ensure “adequate political support and fundraising” for Africa’s response to the Mpox outbreak and to prevent a regional and global pandemic.
Earlier this week, on Tuesday, the Africa CDC declared Mpox a “Public Health Emergency of Continental Security”.
A day later the World Health Organization’s (WHO) declared Mpox a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)”.
In a statement Saturday, President Ramaphosa, the African Union Champion on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) on the Mpox outbreak in Africa, said: “I am deeply concerned by the rapid spread of Mpox across multiple regions within the African Union, with a significant rise in both cases and fatalities, reflecting a concerning shift in the epidemiological pattern.”
President Ramaphosa said he was closely monitoring the evolving Mpox situation and was regularly briefed by the Director General of Africa CDC and PPPR Commission.
Since the start of 2024, a total of 17 541 cases (2 822 confirmed and 14 719 suspected) and 517 deaths due to Mpox have been reported across 13 AU Member States.
This week, three additional countries notified cases under investigation for confirmation.
Alarmingly, the number of reported cases in 2024 has surged by 160% compared to the same period in 2023.
President Ramaphosa said: “As the AU Champion, I will continue to work closely with my esteemed colleagues – H.E. Mohamed Ould El-Ghazaouani, President of Mauritania and Chairperson of the African Union, H.E. Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, and H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya, Director General of Africa CDC – to ensure adequate political support and fundraising for the continental response to Mpox and to prevent a regional and global pandemic”.
He added: “As the PPPR Champion, I was consulted on and fully support the Director General of Africa CDC’s declaration of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security.
“This crucial decision empowers Africa CDC to lead and coordinate our collective response efforts, strengthening the Mpox response at every level – from community engagement to collaboration with the highest political authorities and our international partners.”
He said the declaration will also galvanise political leadership and engagement among AU Heads of State and Government, facilitating the rapid mobilisation of essential financial and technical resources.
“I commend the Permanent Representatives Committee for their decisive action in releasing USD10.4 million from the Covid-19 Fund to support the Mpox outbreak response,” said President Ramaphosa.
“I urge the AU policy organs to expedite the finalization of the framework for operationalizing the African Epidemic Fund, as approved by the Heads of State during the 2023 AU Assembly, by the end of August 2024.
“I call upon AU Member States to increase domestic resource allocation, lead their national Mpox outbreak responses through a One Health approach, and enhance their capacities, particularly in areas such as capacity building, risk communication, community engagement, case detection, contact tracing, and cross-border surveillance.”
President Ramaphosa said he welcomes the WHO declaration of Mpox as a PHEIC.
“This PHEIC must be different and correct the unfair treatment from the previous one declared in 2022, where vaccines and therapeutics were developed and made available primarily to Western countries, with little support extended to Africa,” said President Ramaphosa.
“I call upon WHO and all partners to collaborate closely with Africa CDC to ensure that this PHEIC unlocks appropriate support from the international community, guaranteeing equitable access to medical countermeasures, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines.
“I am heartened by the coordinated efforts of Africa CDC, WHO, and UNICEF under the Joint Emergency Preparedness and Response Action Plan (JEAP).”
The Director General of Africa CDC has committed that the JEAP will encompass all relevant partners, ensuring a well-coordinated action led by Africa CDC under a unified African incident management team.
“I urge the international community, partners, and organizations to mobilise stockpiles of vaccines and other medical countermeasures for deployment in Africa, utilising the mechanisms established by Africa CDC to ensure equitable distribution, transparency, and coordination,” said Ramaphosa.
“Africa requires robust support in funding, research, and the sharing of technologies, with financial contributions directed to the Africa Epidemic Fund under the leadership of Africa CDC.”
