Response to the multi-country monkeypox outbreak : a view from Africa

Abstract

Early in May 2022, the world was stunned by the concurrent emergence of monkeypox (MPX) cases in many countries outside the known endemic zones of the disease in Africa. This attracted global attention and rapid response, especially in non-endemic countries. Action plans, primarily, the release of smallpox vaccines from the global stockpile, were initiated to control the outbreak, protect cases and their contacts, and stop MPX from becoming endemic in Europe and other non-endemic countries. Conversely, while MPX ravaged different communities in Africa, the world was silent as calls for support for field investigations during and between outbreaks, and research to generate data for a better understanding of MPX epidemiology, went unheeded, at both national and international levels.