Mpox has killed 1,100 people in Africa so far this year as a lack of vaccines, congested refugee camps and prisons fuel the spread of a disease that can also result in blindness and disfigurement.

Africa's top public health agency says the number of mpox-related deaths in the continent has surpassed 1,000 and warned of the continuing threat of cross-border contamination and a lack of rapid test kits.

Over the past week, Africa’s surge of new mpox cases continued, and the region passed a grim marker, with fatal cases passing 1,000 for the year amid several worrying developments, including spread to new countries and in crowded settings that include prisons and refugee camps.

As many as 18 of the 55 African countries struggle with the mpox virus. Official statistics indicate that monkeypox has led to the deaths of over a thousand people. Unfortunately, even mass vaccinations are not improving the situation.

University College Dublin (UCD) is leading MpoxVax AFRIVAC, a new €1.3 million international consortium that aims to rapidly deploy technology and develop new knowledge to end the current Mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and surrounding countries.

Rwanda's outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus is easing after vaccinations of the most vulnerable people including healthcare workers, but mpox cases are still spreading to new African countries, Rwanda's health minister and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention's head said on Thursday.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) says the death toll from Africa’s mpox outbreak has risen to 979.

The estimated budget for a six-month plan put forward by Africa CDC and the World Health Organization is almost $600 million, with 55% allocated to the response to mpox in 14 affected nations and boosting readiness in 15 others.