- WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has declared the recent upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other African countries as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
- This declaration follows recommendations from an IHR Emergency Committee of independent experts, who assessed the potential for further spread of mpox across Africa and beyond.
- The emergence of a new mpox clade, rapid spread in eastern DRC, and cases in neighboring countries prompted the PHEIC declaration. Mpox, historically endemic in central and west Africa, has seen increasing cases, with over 15,600 cases and 537 deaths reported this year alone.
The World Health Organization has declared the recent surge of mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and several other African nations a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This decision, advised by an independent IHR Emergency Committee, reflects concerns over the emergence of a new mpox clade and its rapid spread across borders. The WHO is mobilizing international support, including expediting vaccine access and securing funding, to combat the outbreak effectively. With over 15,600 cases reported this year, the situation demands a coordinated global response to manage and contain the disease, reports WHO.
mpox outbreak
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has determined that the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR).
Dr Tedros’s declaration came on the advice of an IHR Emergency Committee of independent experts who met earlier in the day to review data presented by experts from WHO and affected countries. The Committee informed the Director-General that it considers the upsurge of mpox to be a PHEIC, with the potential to spread further across countries in Africa and possibly outside the continent.
The Director-General will share the report of the Committee’s meeting and, based on the advice of the Committee, issue temporary recommendations to countries.
This PHEIC determination is the second in two years relating to mpox. Caused by an Orthopoxvirus, mpox was first detected in humans in 1970, in the DRC. The disease is considered endemic to countries in central and West Africa.
In July 2022, the multi-country outbreak of mpox was declared a PHEIC as it spread rapidly via sexual contact across a range of countries where the virus had not been seen before. That PHEIC was declared over in May 2023 after there had been a sustained decline in global cases.
Mpox has been reported in the DRC for more than a decade, and the number of cases reported each year has increased steadily over that period. Last year, reported cases increased significantly, and already the number of cases reported so far this year has exceeded last year’s total, with more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths.
The emergence last year and rapid spread of a new virus strain in DRC, clade 1b, which appears to be spreading mainly through sexual networks, and its detection in countries neighboring the DRC is especially concerning, and one of the main reasons for the declaration of the PHEIC.
In the past month, over 100 laboratory-confirmed cases of clade, 1b have been reported in four countries neighboring the DRC that have not reported pox before Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. Experts believe the true number of cases to be higher as a large proportion of clinically compatible cases have not been tested.
Several outbreaks of different clades of mpox have occurred in different countries, with different modes of transmission and different levels of risk.
The two vaccines currently in use for mpox are recommended by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization and are also approved by WHO-listed national regulatory authorities, as well as by individual countries including Nigeria and the DRC.
Last week, the Director-General triggered the process for Emergency Use Listing for mpox vaccines, which will accelerate vaccine access for lower-income countries which have not yet issued their national regulatory approval. Emergency Use Listing also enables partners including Gavi and UNICEF to procure vaccines for distribution.
WHO is working with countries and vaccine manufacturers on potential vaccine donations, and coordinating with partners through the interim Medical Countermeasures Network to facilitate equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and other tools.
WHO anticipates an initial US$ 15 million funding requirement to support surveillance, preparedness, and response activities. A needs assessment is being undertaken across the three levels of the Organization.
To allow for an immediate scale up, WHO has released US$ 1.45 million from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies and may need to release more in the coming days. The Organization appeals to donors to fund the full extent of the needs of the MPOX response.
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Source: Times Of India
