The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa a global public health emergency, marking it as the highest level of alert possible.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the decision during a press conference, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
“Today, the emergency committee met and advised me that the current situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice,” Tedros stated.
This declaration, known as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), triggers a coordinated international response under the legally binding International Health Regulations. This is the second consecutive PHEIC declaration concerning mpox, with the latest surge driven by the more deadly clade 1b subclade of the virus, primarily affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The previous mpox outbreak, fueled by the clade 2b subclade, predominantly affected gay and bisexual men, causing around 140 deaths out of 90,000 cases globally between July 2022 and May 2023. The current outbreak, however, poses a greater threat due to its higher fatality rate.
Mpox is a viral disease that can be transmitted to humans from infected animals and through close human-to-human contact. It presents with symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, and large, boil-like skin lesions.
Marion Koopmans, director of the Pandemic and Disaster Management Centre at Erasmus University Rotterdam, explained that a PHEIC declaration escalates global alert levels and may unlock WHO emergency funds. However, she cautioned that addressing the crisis would be challenging due to limited resources in the DRC and neighboring regions.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) also expressed deep concern over the spread of this new mpox variant. They highlighted the need for increased preparedness across Africa, particularly in the DRC’s eastern regions, where the virus is spreading rapidly without zoonotic exposure, unlike previous outbreaks.
The IFRC has pledged to play a critical role in controlling the outbreak, focusing on reaching the most vulnerable and hard-to-access communities.
