WHO declares mpox a global health emergency

The WHO convened an expert committee to review the outbreak and advise Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "The emergency committee has advised me that this situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice," Tedros announced at a press conference. "This is a matter of global concern. WHO will coordinate the global response, working with affected countries to prevent transmission, treat those infected, and save lives."

The declaration follows a similar announcement by the African Union's health watchdog, which also declared a public health emergency over the escalating outbreak.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has surged in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and spread to neighboring countries. Tedros noted that more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths have been reported in the DRC this year, surpassing last year's figures. "The rapid spread of clade 1b in the DRC, particularly through sexual networks, and its spread to neighboring countries is alarming," he said. "In the past month, about 90 cases of clade 1b have emerged in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda—countries that had not previously reported mpox."

A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is the highest alert level the WHO can issue, triggering emergency responses globally under the International Health Regulations. This is the second consecutive PHEIC for mpox, though it concerns a different, more severe strain than the one declared in May 2022, which primarily affected gay and bisexual men and led to around 140 deaths out of approximately 90,000 cases.

Clade 1b, currently spreading in the DRC since September 2023, causes more severe disease and has a higher fatality rate than clade 2b. Mpox is transmitted through infected animals and human-to-human contact, causing fever, muscle aches, and large skin lesions. WHO recommends two vaccines for mpox.

A PHEIC has been declared seven times since 2009, including for H1N1, poliovirus, Ebola, Zika, COVID-19, and mpox.

Marion Koopmans from Erasmus University Rotterdam noted that a PHEIC heightens global alert and may help the WHO access emergency funds. However, she stressed that priorities such as diagnostics, public health responses, treatment support, and vaccination remain critical, especially in resource-limited areas like the DRC.

The Red Cross is increasing preparedness efforts in Africa, particularly in the DRC, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies expressed deep concern over the virus's spread. The IFRC is ready to play a crucial role in containing the outbreak, even in the most challenging areas.