The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared the ongoing Monkey pox (Mpox) outbreak in Africa a global health emergency. The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus virtually met with independent experts to discuss the severity of the outbreak and declared the disease “a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)”.
He said, “The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of Mpox in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), its detection in neighboring countries that had not previously reported Mpox and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying.
“On top of outbreaks of other Mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.
“The emergency committee met and advised me that the situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice.”
On Tuesday, The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared the Mpox outbreak a “public health emergency of continental security”, the first such declaration made by the agency since its establishment in 2017.
According to The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 17,000 Mpox cases and more than 500 deaths have been reported in 13 countries in Africa since the beginning of this year.
The disease had been largely found in Central and West Africa especially in the DRC for decades but also began spreading in Europe and North America in 2022.
Mpox is a viral disease that can be spread easily from infected animals to people. According to WHO, it can also be transmitted between people through close contact such as touching, kissing or sex, as well as through contaminated materials like sheets, clothing and needles.
Symptoms include a fever, a painful rash, headache, muscle and back pain, low energy and enlarged lymph nodes.
