The outbreak that affected the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and spread to neighboring countries continues to grow.
On Thursday afternoon, WHO member Sweden became the first country outside Africa to record a case of the mpox Clade 1 variant believed to be driving the latest outbreak.
“We are working hard on the front lines of the response, working closely with governments and communities to strengthen mpox control measures. “We are stepping up efforts to curb the rising trend of the virus through coordinated action with partners and national authorities,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
Viral disease, a global concern
Mpox – formerly monkeypox – is a viral disease that can be transmitted through physical contact with an infected person, animal or contaminated objects.
It was first detected in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is considered endemic to countries in central and western Africa.
The outbreaks are caused by different mpox viruses called clades, and the clade 1 strain has been circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for years.
The emergence of a new branch, clade 1b, and its rapid spread, even to neighbouring countries, is one of the main reasons why the WHO declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on Wednesday.
So far this year, More than 2,100 laboratory-confirmed cases of the disease and 13 deaths have been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 11 other countries.: Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
This compares with 1,145 confirmed cases and seven deaths in 11 countries during the whole of 2023.
Support and collaboration
WHO is stepping up its support to affected countries Deploy additional experts, including epidemiologists and anthropologistsand provide seed funding to accelerate outbreak response measures.
Efforts are underway to enhance cross-border collaboration for case investigation, contact tracing and community engagement to ensure compliance with preventive measures.
The UN agency is also helping national regulatory authorities to accelerate regulatory approvalsas well as providing guidance to national technical advisory groups on immunization to ensure readiness for vaccine distribution.
Improving access to vaccines
WHO has also initiated the process of listing mpox vaccines for emergency use listing (EUL), which will accelerate access for lower-income countries that have not yet issued their own national regulatory approval.
The EUL means that partners such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will be able to purchase doses for distribution.
WHO is also working to strengthen national diagnostic capacities by providing testing kits and reagents, as well as machines to decentralize testing. Genomic sequencing is also underway to determine mpox clades.
To improve preparedness in the DRC's neighbouring countries and those at risk, disease surveillance and training of frontline health workers are being increased, along with public awareness campaigns.
