WHO Declares Mpox Outbreak in Africa a Global Health Emergency
HeadlineCast
2024-08-15
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On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency.
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The WHO convened its emergency committee to address concerns about a more dangerous strain of the virus, known as clade Ib, which had spread to four countries in Africa previously unaffected by the outbreak. This strain had previously been limited to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The committee met virtually to advise WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the outbreak's severity. Following this consultation, Tedros announced the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the highest level of alarm under international health law.
“The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of mpox in eastern DRC, its appearance in neighboring countries previously unaffected, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very concerning,” Tedros stated.
The PHEIC status is assigned to “extraordinary events” that pose a public health risk across borders and may require a coordinated international response, according to the WHO.
Dimie Ogoina, chair of the emergency committee, remarked, “It was unanimous that the current outbreak of mpox is an extraordinary event. What we are seeing in Africa is just the tip of the iceberg… We do not yet fully grasp the extent of the mpox burden.”
On Tuesday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) also declared the outbreak a public health emergency of continental security. This was the first such declaration by the agency since its establishment in 2017.
Since the beginning of the year, Africa has reported over 17,000 mpox cases and more than 500 deaths across 13 countries. The DRC, which accounts for over 96% of confirmed cases this month, has been the hardest hit, with more than 14,000 cases reported.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that can spread through close contact, including touching, kissing, sex, and contaminated materials such as bedding and clothing. Symptoms include fever, a painful rash, headache, muscle and back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes. Historically confined to Central and West Africa, mpox began spreading to Europe and North America in 2022. The WHO declared the spread of mpox a global health emergency in July 2022 and lifted the declaration in May 2023.
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The WHO convened its emergency committee to address concerns about a more dangerous strain of the virus, known as clade Ib, which had spread to four countries in Africa previously unaffected by the outbreak. This strain had previously been limited to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The committee met virtually to advise WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the outbreak's severity. Following this consultation, Tedros announced the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the highest level of alarm under international health law.
“The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of mpox in eastern DRC, its appearance in neighboring countries previously unaffected, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very concerning,” Tedros stated.
The PHEIC status is assigned to “extraordinary events” that pose a public health risk across borders and may require a coordinated international response, according to the WHO.
Dimie Ogoina, chair of the emergency committee, remarked, “It was unanimous that the current outbreak of mpox is an extraordinary event. What we are seeing in Africa is just the tip of the iceberg… We do not yet fully grasp the extent of the mpox burden.”
On Tuesday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) also declared the outbreak a public health emergency of continental security. This was the first such declaration by the agency since its establishment in 2017.
Since the beginning of the year, Africa has reported over 17,000 mpox cases and more than 500 deaths across 13 countries. The DRC, which accounts for over 96% of confirmed cases this month, has been the hardest hit, with more than 14,000 cases reported.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that can spread through close contact, including touching, kissing, sex, and contaminated materials such as bedding and clothing. Symptoms include fever, a painful rash, headache, muscle and back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes. Historically confined to Central and West Africa, mpox began spreading to Europe and North America in 2022. The WHO declared the spread of mpox a global health emergency in July 2022 and lifted the declaration in May 2023.
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