On August 13, 2024, the Africa CDC officially recognized the ongoing Mpox outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS), marking its first-ever declaration of this kind since the agency’s establishment in 2017. The following day, the World Health Organization also declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Today, the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, in collaboration with the OOASWAHO || West African Health Organization, is leading efforts to enhance continental capacity to prepare for and respond to the Mpox threat. Experts and participants from 15 ECOWAS Commission countries have gathered in Dakar for the first day of an intensive, week-long training. This training focuses on strengthening molecular diagnostic capabilities and advancing the understanding of DNA sequencing and phylogenetic classification of strains, ensuring that any new cases can be promptly detected, sequenced, and accurately classified.
Monkeypox (Mpox), a double-stranded DNA orthopoxvirus, affects humans and several animal species. It is divided into two main clades: Clade I (more virulent) and Clade II. Recently, Clade I has caused a major outbreak in Africa, notably in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries, with confirmed cases in CΓ΄te d’Ivoire and Nigeria, among others.
ππ¨π«π€π¬π‘π¨π© ππ’π π‘π₯π’π π‘ππ¬ :
– Updates on the current epidemiological context
– In-depth training on real-time PCR and sequencing techniques
– Hands-on workshops to master laboratory biosafety protocols
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