The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared Mpox disease a global health emergency, officially designating it as a “public health emergency of international concern.”
This move is intended to prompt an urgent response from member countries and encourage preparations against potential outbreaks of Mpox within their territories. It also opens the door for the sharing of vaccines, treatments, and other critical resources with less wealthy nations.
This marks the second time in three years that the WHO has declared an Mpox outbreak a global emergency. The first instance was in July 2022, when the disease affected nearly 100,000 people—primarily gay and bisexual men—across 116 countries and resulted in approximately 200 deaths.
The WHO’s decision follows a similar declaration made by the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) earlier in the week. The WHO emphasized the urgency of the situation, noting the rapid spread of Mpox since the start of the year. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) alone has reported over 14,000 Mpox cases and 524 deaths.
Women and children under 15 are identified as the most vulnerable groups.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed deep concern over the emergence of a new Mpox clade in eastern DRC, its detection in neighboring countries. “The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of Mpox in eastern D.R.C., its detection in neighboring countries that had not previously reported Mpox, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying,” he said.
The outbreak has now spread to 13 African countries, including some that had never reported Mpox cases before. Dr. Dimie Ogoina, Chair of the WHO emergency committee and an infectious disease expert at Niger Delta University in Nigeria, warned that the situation might be worse than it appears due to weaknesses in the surveillance system. “What we’re seeing is the tip of the iceberg. This is something that should concern us all,” he stated.
On Tuesday, the Africa CDC also declared Mpox a “public health emergency of continental security.” The agency had previously warned of the alarming rate at which the viral infection—transmitted through close contact and causing flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions—was spreading. “Most cases are mild, but it can kill,” said Africa CDC Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya during a live-streamed briefing. “We declare today this public health emergency of continental security to mobilize our institutions, our collective will, and our resources to act swiftly and decisively.”
The Mpox outbreak in the Congo began with an endemic strain known as Clade I, but a new variant, Clade Ib, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, particularly among children, according to the Africa CDC. Dr. Kaseya noted that the continent urgently needs over 10 million vaccine doses, but currently, only about 200,000 are available.
He assured that the Africa CDC is working to quickly increase vaccine supplies, aiming to secure over 10 million doses in Africa, starting with 3 million doses in 2024. However, he did not specify where the vaccines would be sourced from.
