GENEVA. — The World Health Organization (WHO) declared this Wednesday the current mpox outbreak (formerly known as monkeypox) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (CDC), and which has extended to other nearby countriesas a public health emergency of international scope.
There are confirmed cases in children and adults in more than a dozen countries from Africa, as well as the spread of a new form of the virus. There are few doses of the vaccine available on the continent.
Earlier this week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that monkeypox outbreaks constituted a public health emergency, with more than 500 deaths, and called for international assistance to help stop the spread of the virus.
“This is something that should concern us all… The possibility of further spread in Africa and beyond is very worrying,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
This is the second time in two years It is considered that this infectious disease could become an international health threat. The alert was initially lifted in May last year after its spread was contained and the situation was considered to be under control.
In that outbreak, cases reached Europe and North America.
Read: Emergency in Africa due to mpox
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2024-08-24 10:16:08