18,700 mpox cases detected in Africa

NAIROBI:

A total of 18,737 suspected or confirmed cases of mpox were reported in Africa since the beginning of the year, including 1,200 cases in one week alone, the African Union health agency said Saturday.

The figure accounts for three strains of the virus, of which one is the new more deadly and more transmissible Clade 1b which prompted the WHO on Wednesday to declare an international health emergency -- the agency's highest alert.

To date, 3,101 confirmed and 15,636 suspected cases have been reported from 12 African Union member states, resulting in 541 deaths.