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.

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.

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.

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.