International credit rating firm, Fitch Ratings, has said that the Mpox outbreak may hurt the economic activities of African countries and weaken their fiscal positions.
In a commentary released on Wednesday, the ratings firm said that a potential acceleration in the spread of Mpox in sub-Saharan Africa could raise the risk that the virus and efforts to curb its impact hurt economic activity and weaken fiscal metrics in affected sovereigns, in addition to the suffering of those affected.
It, however, said that any fiscal impact under such a scenario would probably be partially offset by additional financing from donors and official and multilateral partners.
Last Friday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Nigeria had recorded a total of 40 confirmed cases of Mpox out of 830 suspected cases across the country.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared Mpox a continental security…