MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

WHO declares global public emergency due to mpox outbreak in Africa

The potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is of great concern, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Wednesday its highest global alert level given a surge in the number of cases of monkeypox in Africa and the threat of a new pandemic it poses. This time around the virus has spread rapidly through 13 countries in Africa, including regions where cases had never been reported before.

“The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of MPox in eastern DRC, its detection in neighboring countries that had not previously reported mpox, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond are of great concern,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus underlined during a press conference.

He also pointed out that mpox infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been increasing over the past few years. So far this year, 524 deaths have been reported from a total of over 14,000 cases. This is the second time in three years that the WHO has designated the MPox epidemic as an international emergency, the last time being in July 2022.

On Tuesday, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Africa (CDC Africa) had already declared the mpox outbreak in the region a public health emergency of continental security.

“WHO has been working to contain the spread of mpox in Africa and has been warning that the epidemic is something that should concern all of us. Last week, I convened the emergency committee to assess the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other countries in Africa. Today, the committee met and reported that, in its view, the situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern,” Dr. Tedros said.

“It is clear that a coordinated international response is essential to interrupt these outbreaks and save lives. A public health emergency of international importance is the highest level of alarm in health legislation,” he went on.

In May 2023, the Director General admitted that back then “the end of the emergency does not mean that the work is over” because “the virus continues to present significant public health challenges” as travel-related cases “reported in all regions, demonstrate the continuing threat.” He also pointed out that mpox constituted a particular risk for people with untreated HIV infections.

Mpox is a viral zoonotic disease. Transmission to humans can occur through contact with infected wild animals, people infected by the virus, and contaminated materials. Symptoms generally include skin rashes or skin lesions, swollen lymph nodes (glands), fever, body aches, headache, chills, and weakness.

At present, there is no vaccine against monkeypox. However, the smallpox vaccine is said to be 85% effective in prevention.