WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the meeting last Wednesday to seek advice on whether outbreaks of mpox (formerly monkeypox) are of international concern.
On Tuesday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared the situation a public health emergency.
“The advice given to me by the Emergency Committee and that of the [Africa CDC]“Health authorities around the world, who yesterday declared a regional public health security emergency, are aligned,” Tedros said in a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Mpox cases have spread across many African countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighbouring Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The possibility of further spread in Africa is a cause for concern, the WHO director said.
“Combined with other outbreaks of other mpox clades elsewhere in Africa, it is clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” Tedros said.
More than 14,000 cases of the virus and 524 deaths have already been reported this year, a significant increase in reported cases compared to 2023.
Tedros previously mentioned that mpox outbreaks occurred due to different viruses called clades.
At Wednesday's meeting, he said that last year in the Democratic Republic of Congo there was transmission of the clade 1b virus, caused mainly by sexual networks. This clade is said to be more deadly and more easily transmitted from person to person.
Clade 1 has been circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for years, while clade 2 was responsible for the 2022 global outbreak that was declared an international public health emergency.
Tedros said that around 90 cases of the clade 1b successor were reported last month in countries neighbouring the DRC that had not reported mpox cases before.
“Stopping these outbreaks will require a tailored and comprehensive response, with communities at the centre, as always,” Tedros said.
How to address the factors driving the outbreak
The WHO chief said the UN agency is working with governments in affected countries, the Africa CDC and other partners to “understand and address the factors driving these outbreaks.”
“For example, we are providing machines to analyse blood samples and confirm MPO cases. [and] “Support laboratories to sequence viral samples,” he said.
He also mentioned “supporting case investigation and contact tracing” on the ground, training of health workers and much more.
WHO regional response
“WHO has developed a regional response plan, which requires an initial amount of $15 million to support surveillance, preparedness and response activities,” Tedros said.
This response was funded by $1.45 million from the WHO Contingency Emergency Fund.
More funds will be released in the coming days and the WHO chief is also calling for more donor support.
Emergency vaccines
Currently, two WHO-recommended and approved vaccines are being used to combat the mpox virus outbreak.
In an Emergency Use Listing (EUL) call last week, Tedros also invited mpox vaccine manufacturers to express interest in producing them to “accelerate access to vaccines for low-income countries that have not yet issued their own national regulatory approval.”
The EUL will enable partners such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to collect vaccines for distribution.
“We are working with all partners to facilitate equitable access to diagnostics, vaccines, clinical supplies and other tools,” Tedros said.
WHO Recommendations
Last August, the WHO director published permanent recommendations under the IHR to monitor mpox cases.
These recommendations would expire in five days, on August 20, 2024, but will be extended for another year to “support countries in responding to chronic mpox risk.”
Recommendations include enhancing community protection by adapting public health and social measures to local contexts, providing guidance and resources for delivering mpox clinical care, and more.
Tedros said WHO is “committed in the coming days and weeks to coordinating the global response, working closely with each of the affected countries and leveraging our presence on the ground to prevent transmission, treat those infected and save lives.”
