NPR Dr. Jean Kaseya has a warning for the world: “We are playing with fire.”
Kaseya is director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He’s talking about mpox, a virus that causes painful blisters and can be fatal.
For much of the world, mpox — formerly known as monkeypox — seems like a virus from a few years ago. There was a global outbreak in 2022 and 2023 but the virus is no longer circulating as widely in Europe and the U.S.
However, large swathes of Africa are in the midst of a major outbreak. The epicenter is in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 2,000 suspected cases reported each week for months, according to Africa CDC.
Fair Use Notice
UNMC Global Center for Health Security staff curate publicly available news and information for educational and informational purposes. Brief excerpts of published articles may be displayed under principles of Fair Use, with credit and links provided to the source publications. All copyrights remain the property of their respective owners.