KUALA LUMPUR – The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the mpox outbreak in Africa a global public health emergency on Wednesday, marking the situation with its highest level of alert.
This decision comes in response to a significant increase in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the spread of the virus to neighbouring countries.
“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 said, as reported by AFP.
A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) represents the highest alert level under the legally binding International Health Regulations, which apply to 196 countries.
Tedros expressed deep concern over the situation, stating” “The detection and swift spread of a new mpox clade in eastern DRC, its appearance in neighbouring countries that previously had no reported cases, and the potential for further expansion within Africa and beyond are highly alarming.”
He emphasised the need for a unified global effort, saying” “A coordinated international response is critical to controlling these outbreaks and saving lives. This is an issue that should matter to everyone.”
The decision by the UN health agency follows the African Union’s health authority declaring its own public health emergency in response to the escalating outbreak.
Tedros said that this year, over 14,000 cases and 524 deaths have been recorded in the DRC, surpassing last year’s totals.
“The emergence and rapid spread of clade 1b in the DRC last year, primarily through sexual networks, and its detection in neighbouring countries like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, is particularly concerning,” he added.
Two vaccines for mpox have been recommended by WHO immunisation experts.
Originally known as monkeypox, the virus was first identified in humans in 1970 in the region now known as the DRC.
Mpox is a viral disease transmitted from infected animals to humans, but it can also spread through close physical contact between people.
Symptoms include fever, muscle aches and large skin lesions resembling boils.
This is the second consecutive PHEIC related to mpox, although it now involves a different and more lethal strain of the virus.
In May 2022, mpox cases spiked globally, primarily affecting gay and bisexual men, driven by the clade 2b subclade.
The WHO declared a public health emergency, which lasted from July 2022 until May 2023.
During this outbreak, approximately 140 deaths occurred out of 90,000 cases. The situation has since significantly improved.
Since September 2023, the clade 1b subclade has been spreading in the DRC, leading to more severe illness and a higher fatality rate than clade 2b.
Since 2009, a PHEIC has been declared only seven times in response to H1N1 swine flu, poliovirus, Ebola, Zika virus, Ebola again, Covid-19 and mpox. – August 15, 2024
