World Health Organization (WHO) Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the new monkeypox (Mpox) virus can be stopped and controlled.
“This new Mpox outbreak can be controlled and stopped,” Tedros was quoted as saying Saturday (24/8).
“To do this requires concerted action between international agencies and national and local partners, civil society, researchers and manufacturers, and you, our member states,” he added in a briefing to members of the WHO, the UN health organization.
He stated that more than 100,000 confirmed cases of Mpox have been reported to WHO since the global outbreak began in 2022. He also reported an unprecedented increase in cases in Africa.
“Transmission is now centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 90% of cases reported in 2024. There have been more than 16,000 suspected cases, including 575 deaths, this year alone,”
he said.
Tedros has outlined how the virus was declared a public health emergency of international concern. Last month, cases strain Clade 1b viruses of Mpox have been reported not only from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, which border Congo, but also from Thailand and Sweden, where cases have not previously been reported.
Tedros noted that WHO and its partners have developed the Global Preparedness and Response Strategic Plan for Poxviruses to stop the outbreak through coordinated global, regional and national efforts.
“The plan focuses on implementing comprehensive surveillance and response strategies; advancing research and equitable access to medical measures; minimizing zoonotic transmission; and empowering communities to actively participate in outbreak prevention and control,” he said.
Tedros said WHO has been working with international, regional, national and local partners to enhance preparedness for the virus and improve coordination in key areas of response. (Ant/H-3)
#Confirms #Mpox #Controlled
