Nairobi — The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for a coordinated international response to stop the outbreak of Mpox and save lives.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the appeal on Wednesday amid concerns over a widespread outbreak.
WHO Emergency Committee declared Mpox a global public health emergency following an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Mpox has since spread to neighboring countries in Africa.
"The emergence of a new clade of Mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighboring countries are very worrying," the WHO chief stated.
"On top of outbreaks of other Mpox clade in DRC and other countries in Africa, it's clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives," he said.
He noted an upsurge of Mpox in DRC and its detection in a growing number of countries in Africa, constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the 2005 International Health Regulations (IHR).
Ghebreyesus said WHO is working with countries and vaccine manufacturers on potential vaccine donations, and coordinating with partners through the interim Medical Countermeasures Network to facilitate equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and other tools.
WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said significant efforts are underway in close collaboration with communities and governments, with the country teams working on the frontlines to help reinforce measures to curb Mpox.
"With the growing spread of the virus, we're scaling up further through coordinated international action to support countries bring the outbreaks to an end," he said.
Public Health Emergency of Continental Security
WHO's PHEIC determination is the second in two years relating to Mpox caused by an Orthopoxvirus.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday 13 declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) in Africa.
"This declaration is not merely a formality; it is a clarion call to action. It is a recognition that we can no longer afford to be reactive," Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya said.
"We must be proactive and aggressive in our efforts to contain and eliminate this threat."
He added that the declaration aims to enhance the global response, mitigate the impact of the health threat, and protect public health while minimizing disruptions to travel and trade.
Kaseya assured there will be no interruptions of movements of people and goods in the region.
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He committed that Africa CDC will lead the fight and use every resource at their disposal to combat the disease.
"Together with our partners, we will deploy experts, bolster our laboratories, and enhance in-country and cross-border surveillance systems," Kaseya said.
Mpox was first detected in humans in 1970 in the DRC. It is endemic to countries in Central and West Africa.
A multi-country Mpox outbreak in July 2022 promted a PHEIC declaration amid rapid spread through sexual contact. The PHEIC declaration ended in May 2023 after a decline in cases globally.
