WHO Declares Mpox Outbreak in Africa a Global Health Emergency

 

On Wednesday, August 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency.

The announcement followed an emergency meeting of the WHO's mpox committee, which addressed concerns about the spread of a more dangerous strain of the virus, known as clade Ib. This variant, previously confined to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has now appeared in four new areas previously unaffected by the outbreak.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) had been declared. This designation is the highest level of alert under international health law and is reserved for extraordinary events that pose a significant risk to other countries through the international spread of disease.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) had already declared the outbreak a public health emergency of continental security on Tuesday, marking the agency’s first such declaration since its establishment in 2017.

Since the start of the year, over 17,000 cases and more than 500 deaths have been reported across 13 African countries, with the DRC reporting the highest number of cases, exceeding 14,000. The Africa CDC has classified the outbreak as a “very high-risk event.”

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that spreads through close contact with infected individuals or animals and via contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, a painful rash, headache, muscle and back pain, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes.