The African continent is grappling with a relentless Mpox outbreak and a fresh Ebola scare, with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda at the epicenter, Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, head of the Incident Management Support Team at the Africa CDC revealed in a press briefing.
Kenya is bracing for its first Mpox vaccine shipment this week, the region faces mounting challenges.
In DRC, Mpox cases have soared to 78,690 suspected and 16,255 confirmed since 2024, with 1,560 deaths—a 2% fatality rate.
Week eight of 2025 alone saw 1,918 new cases, up 31% from the prior week, though confirmed cases held steady at 202.
Testing coverage, however, plummeted from 27% to 17%, hampered by a U.S. funding freeze and eastern DRC’s insecurity, where over 600 patients fled treatment centers amid conflict.
Kinshasa vaccinated over 300,000 in 10 days, with 38% being children under 18, hitting 51.6% of its target.
Uganda, meanwhile, reported five new Ebola cases—three confirmed, two probable—after a 20-day lull, bringing its total to 14 cases and two deaths.
The outbreak, starting in Kampala, hints at a zoonotic source still under investigation. With 69 contacts traced and 264 vaccinated, response teams are racing to contain it.
Kenya, among eight countries receiving Mpox vaccines this week alongside Uganda and DRC, is ramping up surveillance as regional cases climb.
Since January 2024, Africa has logged 110,000 Mpox cases, 25,000 confirmed, with Angola reporting two new cases near DRC’s border.
Dr. Ngongo stressed an “acceleration plan” to intensify vaccination and decentralize testing, now at 21 labs in DRC. But with funding gaps and insecurity threatening progress, East Africa’s fight against these twin threats hangs in the balance.
