The World Health Organization has declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years. The viral infection has caused an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has spread to neighboring countries. An emergency committee met to advise WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on whether the disease outbreak constitutes a “public health emergency of international concern” (PHEIC).
PHEIC status is WHO’s highest level of alert and aims to accelerate research, funding, and international public health measures and cooperation to contain a disease. Tedros emphasized the need for a coordinated international response to stop the outbreaks and save lives. Mpox can spread through close contact, causing flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body. While usually mild, it can be fatal in rare cases.
The outbreak in Congo began with the spread of an endemic strain, known as clade I. However, a new variant, clade Ib, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, including sexual contact. The outbreak has spread from Congo to neighboring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, triggering the WHO’s action.
WHO has released $1.5 million in contingency funds and plans to release more in the coming days. Their response plan would require an initial $15 million, for which they plan to appeal to donors for funding. Earlier this week, Africa’s top public health body declared an mpox emergency for the continent after warning that the viral infection was spreading at an alarming rate, with more than 17,000 suspected cases and more than 500 deaths mainly among children in Congo.
Professor Dimie Ogoina, chair of WHO’s mpox emergency committee, stated unanimously that the current upsurge of cases is an “extraordinary event” with a record number of cases in Congo. Vaccines and behavior change helped stop the spread when a different strain of mpox spread globally, primarily among men who have sex with men, and WHO declared an emergency in 2022. In Congo, the transmission routes need further study and no vaccines are yet available, although efforts are underway to change that and work out who best to target. The agency also appealed to countries with stockpiles to donate shots.