The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has endorsed a locally-produced mpox test developed in Morocco, marking what it calls a “major milestone” in Africa’s fight against the outbreak.
The announcement, made on Thursday, underscores the importance of homegrown diagnostic tools in strengthening the continent’s health infrastructure.
The new test, a real-time PCR diagnostic tool, is designed to rapidly detect mpox DNA in blood, saliva, or tissue samples.
According to Africa CDC, this approval confirms the test’s “reliability and efficacy,” allowing for quicker and more accurate mpox detection across affected regions.
“This major milestone aligns with the African Union’s continental initiative to strengthen the self-sufficiency of African public health systems, enhancing the continent’s capacity for disease preparedness and response,” Africa CDC said in a statement.
The endorsement comes just three months after Africa CDC, along with the World Health Organization, declared mpox a public health emergency across the continent.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has so far led to over 50,000 confirmed cases and about 1,100 deaths in Africa this year, with Central Africa bearing the brunt of the impact, accounting for more than 85 percent of cases and nearly all fatalities.
In parallel, the WHO recently approved its first mpox diagnostic tool, the Alinity m MPXV assay, developed by Abbott Molecular Inc. This tool is designed to detect the mpox virus from swab samples collected from skin lesions.
Mpox is a viral disease that spreads from animals to humans but can also be transmitted through close human contact. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and boil-like skin lesions, and in severe cases, the disease can be fatal.
Africa CDC’s approval of Morocco’s test is seen as a critical advancement in the continent’s push for self-reliant public health capabilities.
