WHO chief considers convening expert committee on mpox outbreak in Africa, amid concerns of potential international emergency.
WHO’s chief is considering convening an expert committee to advise on declaring the growing mpox outbreak in Africa an international emergency.
The response to the outbreak, caused by a deadlier strain of mpox, is being scaled up by WHO, Africa CDC, and local governments.
More funding and support for a comprehensive response to interrupt disease transmission are needed.
An International Health Regulations emergency committee may be convened to determine if the mpox outbreak should be declared a public health emergency of international concern.
Mpox is an infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted from infected animals to humans, and a global mpox outbreak in the past led to a PHEIC being declared.
The World Health Organization is considering convening an expert committee to determine if the current mpox outbreak in Africa should be declared an international emergency. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that efforts are being intensified to respond to the outbreak, which involves a deadlier strain of the virus spreading across multiple African countries. He highlighted the need for more funding and support to enhance the comprehensive response to interrupt disease transmission. Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease transmitted from animals to humans and can also spread between humans through close contact.
Mpox was first identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A global mpox outbreak in the past prompted the WHO to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), which lasted for nearly a year. The International Health Regulations serve as the legal framework for addressing public health emergencies, and the decision to declare a PHEIC is based on the advice of the International Health Regulations emergency committee. As the situation evolves, the WHO is closely monitoring the outbreak and considering the potential need for a heightened global response to combat the spread of mpox in Africa.
