Singapore — To strengthen the Africa Centres for Illness Management and Prevention’s (Africa CDC) capability for enhanced mpox case administration, the Ministry of Well being, Singapore will present a help bundle consisting of mpox diagnostic kits and testing provides, enabling as much as 50,000 exams.
The continued mpox outbreak was declared a Public Well being Emergency of Continental Safety (PHECS) by Africa CDC on August 13, 2024. The World Well being Group (WHO) declared it a Public Well being Emergency of Worldwide Concern (PHEIC) on August 14, 2024, as a consequence of its world unfold. As of November 2024, the outbreak has affected 19 African Union member states. There are over 12,000 confirmed circumstances because the begin of the yr. This improve is primarily pushed by outbreaks within the member states, significantly the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Burundi.
One of many important challenges in controlling the mpox outbreak in Africa has been the scarcity of important testing provides. This has hindered efforts to develop lab testing, detect circumstances, and hint contacts. These are very important for efficient case administration and tracing to strengthen public well being measures. In response, Africa CDC and WHO have initiated a joint continental plan prioritising the growth of mpox testing. The laboratory testing technique contains; scaling up mpox testing capability by supporting centralised Polymerase Chain Response (PCR) websites, activating extra testing websites, deploying close to point-of-care testing, coaching laboratory personnel, and offering satisfactory testing provides.
H.E. Dr Jean Kaseya, Director Normal of Africa CDC, said, “For the primary time, we’ve got developed a complete continental response plan for illness outbreaks, addressing all pillars of outbreak response, together with enhanced diagnostics and genome sequencing. We thank the Ministry of Well being, Singapore, for its beneficiant contribution. We hope this can pave method for broader cooperation between African Union member states and Singapore in strengthening public well being initiatives.”
Mr Ong Ye Kung, Minister for Well being of Singapore mentioned, “Singapore’s contribution to the Africa CDC underscores our dedication to sturdy worldwide cooperation in public well being. We recognise the challenges confronted by African Union Member States in managing the mpox clade I state of affairs, significantly in testing and diagnosing suspected sufferers. By way of this contribution, we hope to assist bolster Africa CDC’s capability for efficient case administration. By serving to different international locations, we additionally strengthen our personal area’s resilience. World well being safety should at all times be a shared worldwide accountability.
About Africa Centres for Illness Management and Prevention (Africa CDC)
The Africa Centres for Illness Management and Prevention (Africa CDC) is a public well being company of the African Union. It’s autonomous and helps member states in strengthening well being techniques. It additionally helps enhance illness surveillance, emergency response, and illness management.
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