President of South Africa ,Cyril Ramaphosa, announced on Sunday that more than 17,000 monkeypox cases have been recorded in 13 countries of African Union since the  start of 2024.

"Since the start of 2024, a total of 17,541 cases (2,822 confirmed and 14,719 suspected) and 517 deaths due to Mpox have been reported across 13 AU Member States” Ramaphosa said in a statement published on Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.

Earlier this week, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared a public health emergency over the outbreak of monkeypox on the continent, calling on the international community to help in collecting about two million doses of vaccine against the disease.