Monkeypox during Covid-19 era in Africa: Current challenges and recommendations
Abstract
In May 2022, monkeypox virus (MPXV) outbreak was confirmed amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
pandemic in many parts of the world including Africa. This is the largest outbreak since monkeypox (MPX) was
first detected in humans in 1970. The MPX outbreak in Africa is an added burden to the fragile healthcare
systems that are already overburdened with several reoccurring epidemics. Although several efforts are in place
to effectively contained the outbreak. Several measures such as improved surveillance and diagnostic are
necessary to contain the spread of the disease in Africa. This commentary highlights the challenges with the MPX
outbreak in Africa and discusses the measures that can be taken to limit the spread of the disease, particularly in
high-risk countries.