Statement of Emily Bancroft, President & CEO (August 22, 2024) – VillageReach supports and applauds the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for officially declaring the ongoing mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) and Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) respectively.
Africa has seen a surge of mpox cases by 160% in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, now affecting 13 countries1 that include the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, Nigeria, Central Africa Republic (CAR) and Liberia, recording 35 deaths as of 18 August 2024.2
As governments supported by Africa CDC, WHO and partners respond to the mpox emergency, we need not forget lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure an equitable response. This is against the backdrop that about 615 million people in Africa are already outside the reach of essential health services, including health products such as medicines and vaccines3 The WHO has highlighted that mpox significantly affects people in remote areas who are normally under-reached communities.4
VillageReach encourages an equitable approach to the mpox emergency that is responsive to the needs and preferences of communities and adapts to changes in demand to ensure no one is left behind. We therefore encourage governments supported by Africa CDC and WHO to consider the following to enable an equitable response:
1. Comprehensive awareness raising to help with emergency response and manage infodemic. Lessons from COVID-19 taught us that when communities are well informed, it helps with the early reporting of cases, detection, prevention of the spread, and initiation of control measures in under-reached communities.
2. Support and train community health workers (CHWs) to strengthen the community workforce. Many African countries already face health care workforce shortages and immunization equity gaps, which can negatively affect efforts to respond to mpox. CHWs can expand immunization access in under-reached communities by administering vaccines since they are already known and trusted by communities.
3. Routinely factor in community voices in decision-making to bridge the access gap. Understanding the needs and preferences of under-reached communities enables emergency response to be quick, relevant, timely, effective, and efficient.
4. Financial commitment and collaboration at all levels to establish mpox virus identification and sequencing capabilities and address inequitable vaccine access. Through a robust global network of manufacturing facilities capable of producing vaccines to protect individuals at all times.
As we continue with our approach to working side-by-side with governments to support timely and effective responses to emergencies like mpox, we stand ready to collaborate with governments, Africa CDC and WHO through interventions such as community engagement, surveillance and case management, telehealth, supply chain management and health workforce training.
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About VillageReach
VillageReach transforms health care delivery to reach everyone. We are driven by a vision of a world where each person has the health care needed to thrive. VillageReach works with governments, the private sector, partners and communities to build responsive primary health care systems that deliver health products and services to the most-under-reached. As a locally driven and globally connected organization working across Africa, VillageReach’s primary goal is to reduce inequities in access to quality primary health care for 350 million people by 2030.
For press inquiries: media@villagereach.org
For mpox interventions: tapiwa.mukwashi@villagereach.org
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1 Statement by His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa, the African Union Champion on Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness, and Response (PPPR) https://africacdc.org/news-item/statement-by-his-excellency-president-cyril-ramaphosa-the-african-union-champion-on-pandemic-prevention-preparedness-and-response-pppr-on-the-situation-of-mpox-outbreak-in-africa/
2 Joint WHO-Africa CDC Briefing on the Mpox Situation in Africa, Tuesday 20 August 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf0SOw5GZhI
3 The State of Universal Health Coverage in Africa: Executive Summary of the Africa Health Agenda International Conference Commission. https://ahaic.org/download/executive-summary-the-state-of-universal-health-coverage-in-africa/
4 Joint WHO-Africa CDC Briefing on the Mpox Situation in Africa, Tuesday 20 August 2024