WHO Declares Mpox A Health Emergency

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday declared a global health emergency as Mpox, earlier called as monkeypox, has caused 524 deaths in 13 African countries, including Congo, where 14,000 cases have been reported.

This is the second time for Mpox to have reached emergency status in three years.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a media briefing that the decision to declare health emergency for Mpox was taken following the IHR Emergency Committee meeting on the upsurge of the disease in Africa.

The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of mpox in eastern Congo, its detection in neighbouring countries that had not previously reported mpox, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying, he added.

A public health emergency of international concern is the highest level of alarm under international health law.

WHO is committed in the days and weeks ahead to coordinate the global response, working closely with each of the affected countries, and leveraging our on-the-ground presence, to prevent transmission, treat those infected, and save lives, the Director-General added.

In 2023, the WHO declared a public health emergency for Mpox which lasted from July 2022 to May 2023.