Africa

Monkeypox cases triple in Europe, WHO says, Africa concerned LONDON (AP) — The World Health Organization's Europe chief warned Friday that monkeypox cases in the region have tripled in the last two weeks and urged countries to do more to ensure the previously rare disease does not become entrenched on the continent. AP NEWS

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And African health authorities said they are treating the expanding monkeypox outbreak as an emergency, calling on rich countries to share limited supplies of vaccines to avoid equity problems seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. ...

Monkeypox Outbreak Strain Has Far More Mutations Than Expected Evidence of continued adaptation may account for suspected increase in transmissibility Kristina Fiore medpagetoday

The strain of monkeypox involved in the current global outbreak differs from its parent strain by about 50 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) -- far more than would be expected for an orthopoxvirus, researchers reported.

Pfizer to offer low-cost medicines, vaccines to poor nations Pfizer said Wednesday that it will provide nearly two dozen products, including its top-selling COVID-19 vaccine and treatment, at not-for-profit prices in some of the world’s poorest countries. AP NEWS

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the drugmaker announced the program at the World Economic Forum’s annual gathering in Davos, Switzerland, and said it was aimed at improving health equity in 45 lower-income countries. Most of the countries are in Africa, but the list also includes Haiti, Syria, Cambodia and North Korea.