THE World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared the Mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the reason his party has declared Mpox a PHEIC is because a new variant of the viral disease is spreading in Africa.
“Cases of Mpox have been found in 13 African countries and the new form is spreading. This is the second time in two years that the organization has issued a warning about the disease,” he said in a release published on the WHO’s official website on Wednesday (14/8).
This comes after an outbreak of the virus infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) spread to neighboring countries.
“Today, the emergency committee met and told me that in its view, this situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice,” Tedros said.
“This is something that should concern all of us,” he said.
“WHO is committed in the coming days and weeks to coordinating the global response, working closely with each affected country and leveraging our presence on the ground, to prevent transmission, treat those infected and save lives,” Tedros added.
Also read: WHO: Monkeypox is no longer a global health emergency
A PHEIC declaration can accelerate research, funding, and international public health measures and cooperation to address a disease. It triggers an emergency response in countries around the world based on the legally binding International Health Regulations.
Mpox can be spread through close contact between individuals. Although usually mild, in rare cases it can be fatal. The disease causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body.
The outbreak in the DRC started with a strain known as clade I, but the new clade Ib variant appears to spread more easily.
Read also: Mpox Changes and Challenges: Evolution, Spread and Global Action
The strain has so far been detected in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
Earlier this week, Africa’s leading public health agency declared a Mpox emergency on the continent after warning that the virus infection was spreading at an alarming rate.
More than 17,000 suspected cases of Mycobacterium pox and 517 deaths have been reported on the African continent so far this year, a 160 percent increase in cases compared to the same period last year, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read also: WHO Calls Emergency Meeting After Spike in Mpox Cases from Democratic Republic of Congo
The regional health agency’s chief of staff, Ngashi Ngongo, said an agreement had been reached with the European Union’s health task force and Mpox vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic to provide an initial 215,000 doses of the inoculant to Africa.
He said they were still negotiating a deal for the continent to receive two million doses by the end of this year, and ten million by the end of 2025.
“We also plan to saturate the media, both television and radio, to ensure that everyone who has access to the media also gets the message,” Ngongo told Al Jazeera.
“But it is important to remember that 96 percent of cases are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 60 percent of those cases are in young people under the age of 18,” he added.
“So we also use social media to ensure that the younger generation is infected with this disease. also achieved,” he continued.
Second reminder in two years
Another form of Mpox virus, clade IIb, spread globally in 2022, mostly through sexual contact among men who have sex with men.
The WHO declared a public health emergency lasting from July 2022 to May 2023. The outbreak, which has now largely subsided, caused about 140 deaths from about 90,000 cases.
Amid the latest outbreak, the Red Cross said it was stepping up preparedness measures across Africa, particularly in eastern Congo.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies expressed deep concern about the spread of the virus.
The organization has pledged to play a critical role in stemming the spread of the disease, even in hard-to-reach areas where the need is greatest. (I-2)
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