WHO declares mpox outbreak a global health emergency

Thursday, August 15, 2024 - The World Health Organization on Wednesday, August 14 declared the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency.

The UN health body convened its emergency mpox committee amid concerns that a deadlier strain of the virus, clade Ib, had reached four previously unaffected areas in Africa. This strain had previously been contained to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

After meeting with independent experts, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that he had declared a public health emergency of international concern, the highest level of alarm under international health law.

Also known as PHEIC, this is a status given by WHO to “extraordinary events” that pose a public health risk to other countries through the international spread of disease. These outbreaks may require a coordinated international response, according to the organization.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared the outbreak a public health emergency of continental security on Tuesday, the first such declaration by the agency since its inception in 2017.

Since the beginning of this year, more than 17,000 cases and more than 500 deaths have been reported in 13 countries in Africa, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which classifies the outbreak as a “very high-risk event.” The highest number of cases, more than 14,000 — is in the DRC.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that can spread easily between people and from infected animals. It can spread through close contact such as touching, kissing or sex, as well as through contaminated materials like sheets, clothing and needles, according to WHO. Symptoms include a fever, a painful rash, headache, muscle and back pain, low energy and enlarged lymph nodes.