The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and several other African countries a public health emergency of international concern.
WHO Director-General Tedros made the declaration following advice from an emergency committee of independent experts. The decision marks the second time in two years that mpox has been designated a global health emergency.
The emergence of a new mpox strain, clade 1b, which appears to spread primarily through sexual networks, has raised particular concern.
Committee Chair Professor Dimie Ogoina said, “The current upsurge of mpox in parts of Africa, along with the spread of a new sexually transmissible strain of the monkeypox virus, is an emergency, not only for Africa, but for the entire globe. Mpox, originating in Africa, was neglected there, and later caused a global outbreak in 2022. It is time to act decisively to prevent history from repeating itself.”
Over 100 confirmed cases of this strain have been reported in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda in the past month.
“The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighboring countries are very worrying,” Tedros said.
In the DRC, more than 15,600 mpox cases and 537 deaths have been reported so far this year, surpassing last year’s total.
WHO is working with countries and vaccine manufacturers to accelerate access to mpox vaccines in lower-income countries. The organization has released $1.45 million from its emergency fund and estimates an immediate funding need of $15 million for response activities.
The previous mpox emergency, declared in July 2022 due to a multi-country outbreak, was lifted in May 2023 following a decline in global cases.