“Responding to this complex outbreak requires a comprehensive and coordinated international response.“WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told member states, as cases spread beyond Africa to Europe and Asia.
The briefing came just over a week after it declared MPOX a public health emergency of international concern.
New strain of mpox virus
Tedros said the global outbreak first emerged in 2022, with more than 100,000 confirmed cases reported since then. While the virus continues to circulate at low levels, Africa has seen an unprecedented surge and expansion.
Transmission is mainly concentrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where there have been more than 16,000 suspected cases this year alone, including 575 deaths.
The surge is being driven by two separate outbreaks of two mpox virus strains, or clades, and in different parts of the country.
Rapid spread
The rapid spread of a new branch, clade 1b, was the main reason behind their decision to declare mpox a global public health emergency on August 14.
“Last month, clade 1b cases were reported in four neighbouring countries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which had not previously reported mpox cases: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. This week, cases were also reported in Thailand and Sweden,” he said.
We can stop mpox
In response, WHO and partners have developed a plan to stop outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of mpox through coordinated efforts at global, regional and national levels.
“Let me be clear: this new outbreak of mpox can be controlled and it can be stopped,” Tedros insisted.
“Achieving this requires concerted action between international agencies and national and local partners, civil society, researchers and manufacturers, and you, our Member States.”
She stressed that the response must be based on equity, global solidarity, community empowerment, human rights and coordination across sectors.
Strategic response plan
The Mpox Global Preparedness and Response Strategic Plan (SRSP) focuses on implementing comprehensive surveillance and response strategies, as well as promoting research and equitable access to medical countermeasures.
“Our initial estimates are that the SPRP requires approximately $135 million over the next six months for the acute phase of the outbreak. That amount will likely increase as we update the plan in light of the growing needs,” Tedros said.
He added that a specific WHO funding appeal will be launched early next week.
Leadership, preparation and coordination
The SPRP also calls for minimizing zoonotic transmission and empowering communities to actively participate in preventing and controlling outbreaks.
Globally, the emphasis is on strategic leadership, timely evidence-based guidance and access to medical countermeasures for the highest-risk groups in affected countries.
In this regard, WHO is working with a range of international, regional, national and local partners and networks to enhance coordination in the key areas of preparedness, readiness and response.
WHO regional offices have also established Incident Management Support Teams (IMST) to lead preparedness and response activities, while increasing staffing in affected countries.
Preventing transmission, saving lives
In addition, the Regional Office for Africa, in collaboration with the Africa Centers for Disease Control (Africa CDC), will jointly lead the coordination of mpox response efforts, as the needs across the continents are greatest.
In the meantime, health authorities at national and subnational levels will adapt strategies to current epidemiological trends.
Tedros said the WHO has so far released about $1.5 million from a contingency fund for emergencies, with more allocations expected in the coming days, “until donor funding for the response arrives.”
He said the agency “will coordinate the global response, working closely with each of the affected countries, to prevent transmission, treat those infected and save lives..”
