WHO declares new global health emergency
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the spread of mpox a global public health emergency, after sounding the alarm following the dramatic rise of cases in Africa.
Concerned about the increase in infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has subsequently spread to at least 10 neighbouring countries, the WHO quickly convened a meeting of experts to study the outbreak.
“Today, the emergency committee met and advised me that in its view, the situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference on Wednesday.
A PHEIC is the highest level of alarm under the International Health Regulations, which are legally binding in 196 countries.
“The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of mpox in eastern DRC, its detection in neighbouring countries that had not previously reported mpox, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying,” said Dr Tedros.
“It’s clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives. This is something that should concern us all.”
Since January 2022, 38,465 cases and 1456 deaths have been reported in Africa due to mpox, with cases surging 160 per cent and deaths 19 per cent in recent months compared to 2023.
Dr Tedros said the more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths reported so far this year in DR Congo had already exceeded last year’s total.
“The emergence last year and rapid spread of clade 1b in DRC, which appears to be spreading mainly through sexual networks, and its detection in countries neighbouring DRC is especially concerning,” he said, citing Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s epidemic and pandemic preparedness and prevention director, insisted, “We can stop transmission of mpox with a concerted effort.”
However, she said experts needed a “much better understanding of the epidemiology” and the transmission patterns of the virus, which would help make sure the limited number of vaccines could be deployed to best effect.
Two vaccines for mpox are recommended by WHO immunisation experts.
Formerly called monkeypox, the virus was first discovered in humans in 1970 in what is now the DRC.
Mpox is an infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.
The disease causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions.
A PHEIC has only been declared seven times previously since 2009, over H1N1 swine flu, poliovirus, Ebola, Zika virus, Ebola again, Covid-19 and mpox.
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