Urgent Need for Mpox Virus Resources in Africa, Says IFRC

An outbreak of a new mpox virus strain in Africa has created a critical need for diagnostic kits, treatments, and vaccines. Shortages are hindering efforts to contain the virus, according to Bronwyn Nichol of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Far more diagnostic kits, treatments, and vaccines need to be shipped to Africa to respond adequately to the outbreak of a new strain of the mpox virus there, an official of the Red Cross and Red Crescent humanitarian network said on Friday.

"There is a critical shortage of testing, treatment, and vaccines across the continent. These shortages are severely hampering the ability to contain the outbreak," Bronwyn Nichol of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said in a media call on Friday.