Rapid spread of Mpox, a concern: Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa says he is concerned about the rapid spread of Mpox across many regions in the African Union member states.

He was speaking as the African Union (AU) Champion on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

Ramaphosa says 17 541 cases and 517 deaths have been reported across 13 AU member states.

President Ramaphosa says he fully supports Africa’s Centre for Disease Control’s declaration of Mpox as a public health emergency of continental security.

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He says this will galvanise political leadership and engagement among AU Heads of State and Government, facilitating the rapid mobilization of essential financial and technical resources.

He has commended the Permanent Representatives Committee for their decisive action in releasing 10.4 million US Dollars from the COVID-19 Fund to support the Mpox outbreak response.

Ramaphosa further urged the international community, partners, and organisations to mobilise stockpiles of vaccines and other medical counter-measures for deployment in Africa, utilising the mechanisms established by Africa CDC to ensure equitable distribution, transparency, and coordination.