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The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency. This decision follows concerns about a more virulent strain of the virus, clade Ib, which has now spread to four provinces in Africa that were previously unaffected. This strain had been contained within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) until now.
The declaration was made after WHO’s emergency Mpox committee, which met virtually, advised WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the outbreak’s severity. A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is the highest level of alarm under international health law, signaling that the outbreak poses a significant risk of international spread and may require a coordinated global response.
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The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) had already declared the outbreak a public health emergency of continental security, marking its first such declaration since the agency’s establishment in 2017.
Since the start of 2024, over 17,000 cases and more than 500 deaths have been reported across 13 African countries, with the DRC accounting for the majority of cases. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, can spread through close contact and contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, rash, headache, muscle pain, and swollen lymph nodes.
Mpox had been primarily confined to Central and West Africa but began spreading to Europe and North America in 2022. The WHO had previously declared Mpox a global health emergency in July 2022, but this status was lifted in May 2023.
The WHO is calling for increased international cooperation and has initiated the Emergency Use Listing process for mpox vaccines. A regional response plan requiring $15 million has been developed, with $1.45 million already allocated from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies.
