The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for an emergency meeting regarding mpox, following its spread beyond the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Formerly known as monkeypox, mpox is a viral disease endemic to Central and West Africa, transmitted through physical contact with infected individuals, animals, or contaminated materials.
Symptoms of mpox include skin rash or lesions, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes. The disease gained global attention two years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to an outbreak declared a public health emergency of international concern in July 2022, which concluded in May 2023.
In response to the recent developments and the potential for further international spread, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus has convened an Emergency Committee to assess whether the current outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, the highest level of alert by the UN agency.
“The committee will meet as soon as possible and will consist of independent experts from various disciplines around the world,” Ghebreyesus announced in Geneva on Wednesday.
He noted that the DRC has been experiencing a severe outbreak of mpox since the beginning of the year, with over 14,000 cases and 511 deaths reported. While outbreaks in the country have been ongoing for decades, the caseload for the first half of this year matches the total for all of 2023.
Recent developments include approximately 50 confirmed and suspected cases in four neighboring countries—Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda—that had not previously reported cases.
Ghebreyesus explained that mpox outbreaks are caused by different viral clades. Clade 1, which has been circulating in the DRC for years, and clade 2, responsible for the global outbreak starting in 2022, are both present. The current outbreak in eastern DRC is linked to a new offshoot of clade 1, called clade 1b, which causes more severe disease. This new clade has been confirmed in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, while clade 1a continues to be reported in the DRC, Central African Republic, and Republic of Congo. Clade 2 cases have been observed in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, and South Africa.
WHO is collaborating with the governments of affected countries, the Africa Centre for Disease Control, non-governmental organizations, and other partners to understand and address the outbreaks. Ghebreyesus emphasized the need for a comprehensive response focused on community engagement to halt transmission.
The WHO has developed a $15 million regional response plan to enhance surveillance, preparedness, and response efforts, and has released an additional $1 million from its emergencies fund to support the response.
Furthermore, two mpox vaccines have received approval from WHO-listed national regulatory authorities. The expert group on immunizations, SAGE, has recommended these vaccines, and Ghebreyesus has initiated the process for Emergency Use Listing to expedite vaccine access, particularly for lower-income countries. This listing will enable the global vaccine alliance, Gavi, and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to procure and distribute doses
