Colorised transmission electron micrograph of mpox virus particles (yellow) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory.Credit: NIAID/ CC BY 2.0
A new research network set up to help counter Africa’s surge in mpox cases is urgently seeking funding, as outbreaks emerge in previously unaffected parts of the continent.
Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever. Although most people make a full recovery, it can develop into a serious, or fatal illness.
A consortium, called MpoxReC, was announced in The Lancet in May this year. Jean Nachega, coordinating committee chair, says the immediate priority is to secure funding for research activities across mpox-endemic countries.
The focus is in response to burgeoning outbreaks, not only in endemic countries, but also in previously unaffected parts of Africa, especially through sexual contact. Nachega and co-authors of The Lancet announcement say the continent’s leading mpox scientists continue to struggle to secure critical research funding to help contain the persistent threat.
“Mpox is a serious health concern, not only for African countries but for the world. COVID-19 showed clearly that viruses have no respect for borders, and if we don’t accelerate efforts to eliminate mpox in Africa, we risk its spread to other continents,” Nachega tells Nature Africa.
The consortium aims to access mpox funding to help mitigate recurring mpox epidemics through the specific objectives detailed in its comprehensive research agenda, Nachega explains. These centre on enhancing disease surveillance, research capacity and community engagement.
The initial focus will be on Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ghana and Nigeria, where mpox is endemic. But he invites other countries, including South Africa, which has recorded 22 mpox cases and three deaths since May, to join.
In DRC, meanwhile, a new and dangerous mpox strain has reportedly spread to Goma, a large city in the east, with 25 cases recorded, mostly in camps for displaced people. Access to vaccines and treatment in DRC is limited, and with more than 11,900 mpox cases already recorded this year, along with nearly 450 deaths, experts have warned of an increased risk of cross-border spread of the virus.
Nachega, also senior and corresponding author of a recent Nature Medicine report on the new strain, says that the rising number of cases acquired through sexual transmission of a new mutated mpox virus variant, especially in high-risk populations such as sex workers in the mining region of eastern DRC, which attracts workers from Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, underscores the urgency for control strategies.
Nachega says collaboration between African countries worst impacted by mpox are minimal, and data on mpox research funding on the continent is scarce. “MpoxReC aims to address this through its comprehensive research agenda.”
In May this year, WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme director Mike Ryan described mpox as a “neglected disease”, with “not one dollar” received from donors to support the response in endemic countries during the 2022 global outbreak. Instead, WHO had used its contingency fund for emergencies.
Mitigating the disease in Africa is very complex, and Nachega suggests that African researchers who have been studying the virus for decades should be leading the way.
