African countries have recorded nearly 70,000 mpox cases since the start of this year, with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) hit hardest by the new strain.
The number of mpox cases reported in Africa this year has surpassed 69,000, with the death toll rising to more than 1,260, Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) reported.
Alain Atubondo is a businessman who had a brush with death this year. Having tested positive for mpox in August, he was admitted to a hospital in Kinshasa, capital of DRC, due to critical condition. He eventually recovered after getting treatment.
"The health workers gave me medicine when I was admitted and after I got discharged. It was all free. All my compatriots who have contracted mpox should take heart and seek medical advice. They will get cured," he said.
Mpox is a viral disease that is common in forested areas in central and west Africa. But a new more severe strain of the disease was detected in a remote mining town in eastern DRC this year.
The suspected cases of mpox reported in DRC have exceeded 53,800, including 1,225 deaths, Ministry of Public Health announced this month.
The strain -- known as Clade 1b -- spread to neighbouring countries, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to announce a global health emergency in August.
A collaborative effort between the WHO and Africa CDC is underway to combat the disease's spread.
"Many things have been done. One is actually what we call 'One team.' As we speak, we have the WHO and the Africa CDC co-leading the incident management team, the continent management team, both of them based here in Kinshasa in DRC," said Boureima Hama Sambo, WHO Representative to DRC.
Vaccination efforts have been central to the response, with over 50,000 individuals, mostly healthcare workers, receiving vaccinations.
With ordinary people still largely exposed, the disease has continued spreading, but maybe not as fast as before.
"Most of the mpox cases are spreading in provinces that we describe as hotspots. In Sud-Kivu， Equateur, Tshuapa, Sankuru and Bas Uele. Those are the areas with high cases but when you look at the global trend, there's a drop. Last week we recorded about 439 cases," said Roger Kamba, DRC Health Minister.
Children have been the most affected by the mpox outbreak in the DRC. Health experts attribute that to their weak immunity and the existence of other childhood diseases in the country.
Authorities said they have stepped up measures to protect them from dying of a disease that is transmitted through close contact with infected people or wild animals.
African countries record nearly 70,000 mpox cases in 2024
China remains resolute in its pursuit of the dual-carbon goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, positioning the green transition as a core driver of high-quality development, according to Zhao Chenxin, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday in Beijing, Zhao outlined significant achievements in 2024 and provided a roadmap for 2025, which includes advancing carbon reduction initiatives, strengthening green industries, and enhancing ecological protection efforts.
"We've rolled out guidelines for accelerating the green transformation of our economy and society and advancing nearly 200 specific initiatives. We've also released a catalog of industries supporting this transition, promoting 112 green technologies and 47 advanced low-carbon projects. We've developed a two-year action plan for energy conservation and carbon reduction, along with seven sector-specific plans, achieving significant progress. It is predicted that we reduced energy consumption intensity by over 3 percent last year, surpassing our targets. Additionally, we’ve implemented 194 national standards in the 'dual-carbon' field and supporting local governments in establishing carbon emission budget systems," Zhao said.
Zhao also emphasized that efforts in resource conservation and ecological protection continued to gain momentum.
"We've rolled out policies on promoting food conservation, reducing food waste, developing water-saving industries, and encouraging waste recycling. More than 60 billion yuan (about 8.2 billion U.S. dollars) of government funding has been allocated to enhance environmental infrastructure and support major ecosystem protection and restoration projects, including the 'Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program'. Additionally, we've formulated the Ecological Protection Compensation Regulations, and increased the annual funding of central and local governments to nearly 300 billion yuan (over 41 billion U.S. dollars)," Zhao added.
In addition, significant attention was given to programs aimed at large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-ins.
"In 2024, we allocated 300 billion yuan in ultra-long-term special treasury bonds to support large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs. In the first 11 months of the year, national investment in equipment and tool procurement rose 15.8 percent year on year, contributing 65.3 percent to overall investment growth. Through the trade-in program, over 60 percent of consumers chose new energy vehicles, driving the domestic penetration rate of new energy passenger cars to over 50 percent for six consecutive months," Zhao explained.
Looking ahead, China will mark two major milestones in 2025 - the 20th anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping introducing the concept that 'lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets,' and the fifth year since China announced its dual-carbon goals.
Zhao said that the commission will continue to work with relevant stakeholders and prioritize these efforts by advancing carbon reduction, pollution control, green growth, and ecological expansion, while accelerating the comprehensive green transformation of the economy and society.
"We will actively plan the carbon peaking initiatives for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), develop integrated evaluation and assessment methods, advance national carbon peaking pilot projects, and accelerate the building of zero-carbon industrial parks. We will further strengthen fiscal, financial, investment, and pricing policies and standards to foster the healthy development of green and low-carbon industries," Zhao stated.
"We will continue to enhance environmental infrastructure, implement major ecosystem protection and restoration projects, and explore mechanisms to realize the value of ecological products. We will work to achieve greater results in promoting the programs of large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in, so as to increase funding, broaden coverage, optimize the implementation of the policies, and amplify their leverage effects in 2025," Zhao concluded.
China reaffirms commitment to green transition and dual-carbon goals: NDRC
