UN convenes experts to determine whether MPOX in Africa is a global emergency
WHO’s Tedros said the agency has released $1 million from its emergency fund to support the response to mpox, also known as monkeypox (Photo: Reuters)
The head of the World Health Organization said Wednesday he will convene a group of experts to determine whether the increasing spread of the mpox virus in Africa warrants the declaration of a global health emergency.
At a press conference in Geneva, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that given the increasing spread of mpox cases outside Congo, he has decided to ask independent experts to advise WHO as soon as possible.
Last week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that mpox, also known as monkeypox, has been detected in 10 African countries this year, including Congo, which has more than 96% of all cases and deaths. Compared to the same period last year, the agency said cases have increased 160% and deaths have increased 19%.
According to officials at the Africa CDC, nearly 70% of cases in Congo involve children under the age of 15. They also account for 85% of deaths.
Mpox was first reported last week in Burundi and Rwanda, while other countries including Kenya and the Central African Republic also identified cases.
WHO’s Tedros said the agency has released $1 million from its emergency fund to support the fight against mpox, also known as monkeypox.
Earlier this year, scientists reported the emergence of a new strain of the deadlier version of Mpox, which can kill 10% of people, in a Congolese mining town where they feared it could spread more easily among people. Mpox spreads through close contact with infected people, including through sex.
In 2022, the WHO declared mpox a global health emergency after it spread to more than 70 countries, primarily affecting gay and bisexual men. Before that outbreak, the disease had been seen mainly in sporadic epidemics in Central and West Africa, when people came into contact with infected animals.
Western countries have largely managed to contain the spread of mpox with the help of vaccines and treatments, but few of these are available in Africa.
Maria Van Kerkhove, head of WHO’s outbreak response department, said there were many worrying issues in the African mpox epidemic and called for a faster response.
We don’t want the world to sit and watch, she said. The time (to act) is now.
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First print: Aug 08, 2024 | 08:32 AM IST