The WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus convened the meeting last Wednesday to seek advice on whether the outbreak of monkeypox – formerly known as smallpox – was of international concern.
On Tuesday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared the situation a public health emergency.
“The Emergency Committee’s advice to me and to [Africa CDC]yesterday declared a public health emergency of international concern related to regional security, which has been agreed upon,” Tedros speak in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Mpox disease cases have spread across many countries in Africa, especially the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The potential for further spread in Africa is a concern, the WHO director said.
“In addition to other outbreaks of other mpox groups in other parts of Africa, it is clear that A coordinated international response is needed to contain these outbreaks. and save lives,” Tedros said.
This year has recorded more than 14,000 cases of the virus with 524 deaths, a significant increase compared to the number of cases reported in 2023.
Earlier, Tedros mentioned that mpox outbreaks occur due to different types of viruses known as clades.
At the fourth meeting He said there had been transmission of the so-called group 1b virus in the DRC last year, mainly through sexual contact. This group is believed to be more deadly and more easily transmitted from person to person.
Cluster 1 has been circulating in the DRC for years while cluster 2 was responsible for the 2022 global outbreak declared an international public health emergency.
Tedros said over the past month that about 90 cases of the 1b inheritance group have been reported in countries neighboring the DRC that had not previously reported cases of mpox.
“Containing these outbreaks will require a comprehensive and coordinated response, with communities at the heart,” he said.
Dealing with the agents that cause disease outbreaks
The WHO chief said the UN agency was working with governments of affected countries, the Africa CDC and other partners to “understand and address the drivers of these outbreaks”.
“For example, we are providing machines to analyze blood samples and confirm mpox cases; we are supporting labs to sequence virus samples,” he said.
He also mentioned “on-the-ground support for case investigation and contact tracing,” training for healthcare workers and more.
WHO regional response
“WHO has developed a regional response plan, requesting an initial $15 million to support surveillance, preparedness and response activities,” he said.
The response is being funded by $1.45 million from the WHO Emergency Contingency Fund. More funds will be released in the coming days, and he is also appealing for more support from donors.
Emergency vaccine
Currently, there are two WHO-recommended and approved vaccines in use to combat mpox virus outbreaks.
Under one Emergency Use Listing (EUL) Call Last WeekTedros also invited manufacturers of mpox vaccines to express interest in producing them to “speed up access to vaccines for low-income countries that have not yet issued approval under their own national regulations”.
EUL will enable partners such as the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to collect vaccines for distribution.
“We are working with all partners to facilitate equitable access to diagnostics, vaccines, clinical care supplies and other tools,” Tedros said.
WHO Recommendations
Last August, the WHO chief issued standing recommendations under the IHR to monitor cases of mpox.
These recommendations are due to expire in five days, on August 20, 2024, but will be extended for another year to “support countries in responding to the risk of chronic mpox”.
Some recommendations include enhancing community protection through adapting public health and social measures to local contexts, providing guidance and resources for delivering clinical mpox care, etc.
WHO is “committed in the coming days and weeks to coordinating the global response, working closely with each affected country and leveraging our presence on the ground,” Tedros said.o prevent transmission, treat infected people and save lives“ .
