2023-08-24 23:05:18
GENEVA, August 24, 2023 (APMnews) – The World Health Organization (WHO) issued on Wednesday a series of permanent recommendations around Monkeypox virus infection (or mpox) in order to help member states combat the risks posed by this disease.
Until now, under the public health emergency of international concern decreed between July 2022 and May 2023 for the mpox outbreak, countries’ efforts have been guided by temporary recommendations issued by the Director General of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who was referred by an emergency committee, reminds the WHO in a press release released on Wednesday.
“As mpox continues to pose a public health risk to certain populations, and knowing that the WHO recommends the control and elimination of human-to-human transmission [de ce virus]countries’ response and preparedness actions can now be guided by the standing recommendations promulgated by the DG of WHO under the International Health Regulations (IHR)”, continues the international agency.
These recommendations are in effect until August 20, 2024. The WHO announces that it is preparing a global strategic framework 2023-2027 – which is subject to consultation with Member States, partners and stakeholders – to improve the control of mpox and succeed in eliminating its human-to-human transmission.
The 20 permanent recommendations of the WHO are articulated around several themes: the deployment of national plans for anticipation and response, surveillance and diagnostic capacities, communication and the fight once morest stigmatization, research, prevention around international travel, access to care and protection for caregivers, and equitable access to various resources, vaccines in particular.
The WHO recommends, for example, to include mpox among the notifiable diseases (OD) within the framework of national epidemiological surveillance systems. Note that this is already the case in France, as for all viruses of the orthopoxvirus family.
The international agency also calls for strengthening diagnostic capacities, for quickly reporting any case detection, for collaborating with other countries for access to genomic sequences and for working to reduce the zoonotic transmission of mpox.
In addition, we must continue to generate data around the prevention and control of mpox through research, in particular by conducting clinical trials on diagnostic tools, vaccines and treatments in different populations.
The WHO also recommends providing information to people traveling internationally to protect themselves and avoid exposing others, for example during events or gatherings. On the other hand, it advises once morest deploying specific measures for mpox among travelers such as checks on entering or leaving countries, or the requirement to have a negative test or a vaccination.
Interventions must also be deployed to prevent the stigmatization and discrimination of people who might be affected by the mpox, asks the international agency.
It also recommends ensuring the training of health professionals so that they can guarantee patients optimal care, and providing these caregivers with personal protective equipment.
In addition, mpox vaccines should be available for pre-exposure and post-exposure vaccination of individuals and communities at risk of infection.
WHO standing recommendations for mpox
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