WHO declared mpox as a health emergency in July 2022, following the outbreak, and rapid spread to at least 75 nations and territories.
Published Aug 15, 2024 | 10:11 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 15, 2024 | 4:58 PM
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World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has declared the outbreak of mpox, formerly known as Monkeypox, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other countries in Africa as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), on late Wednesday, 14 August.
This is the second time, the virus has been declared a PHEIC, the last time WHO declared mpox as a health emergency was in July 2022, following the outbreak, and rapid spread to at least 75 nations and territories.
India had reported eight cases of Monkeypox. While five were from Kerala, three were confirmed in Delhi. One death due to Monkeypox was reported in Kerala.
The public health emergency was declared over in May 2023, following a steady decline in cases.
The virus has flu-like symptoms with rashes with puss-filled lesions and is often transmitted through sexual contact. Caused by an Orthopoxvirus, mpox was first detected in humans in 1970, in the DRC. The disease is considered endemic to countries in Central and West Africa.
Dr Tedros’s declaration came on the advice of an International Health Regulations (IHR) emergency committee of independent experts who met earlier in the day to review data presented by experts from WHO and affected countries. The committee informed the director-general that it considers the upsurge of mpox to be a PHEIC, with the potential to spread further across countries in Africa and possibly outside the continent.
The WHO noted that the number of cases reported so far this year has exceeded last year’s total, with more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths.
The declaration further read, “The emergence last year and rapid spread of a new virus strain in DRC, clade 1b, which appears to be spreading mainly through sexual networks, and its detection in countries neighbouring the DRC is especially concerning, and one of the main reasons for the declaration of the PHEIC.”
“Today, the Emergency Committee met and advised me that in its view, the situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice”-@DrTedros #mpox https://t.co/yy4JsGgUXy pic.twitter.com/MHx2caxAhd
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) August 14, 2024
In declaring the PHEIC, Dr Tedros said, “The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying. On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”
WHO estimates that an initial $ 15 million in financing will be needed to support operations related to preparedness, response, and surveillance. The organization is doing a needs assessment at each of its three levels.
WHO has already provided $ 1.45 million from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies to enable an immediate scale-up.
(Edited by Sumavarsha Kandula)
