World Health Organization : On July 19, 2024, in Munigi, Nyiragongo territory, near Goma in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Christian Musema, a laboratory nurse, collected a sample from a child suspected of having mpox.
On Wednesday in Geneva, the World Health Organization (WHO) held an emergency meeting with international experts to evaluate the increasing spread of the mpox virus, amid rising concerns about its impact, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called for the urgent meeting in response to growing worries about the virus’s spread beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo).
Tedros announced that the Who emergency committee would convene “as soon as possible” to assess whether the ongoing outbreak qualifies as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). This designation the highest alert level issued by the Who would allow the organization to implement emergency measures under the International Health Regulations.
Mpox is an infectious disease that can be impact on humans through contact with infected animals and also spreads between people through close physical contact It was first identified in humans in DR Congo in 1970. The disease is marked by symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, and large, boil-like skin lesions.
The virus gained international attention in May 2022, when an outbreak of the Clade IIb subclade of mpox caused a significant increase in cases worldwide, primarily affecting gay and bisexual men. This led the WHO to declare a PHEIC, which was in effect from July 2022 to May 2023. The initial outbreak has since subsided.
Since September 2023, a new strain of mpox, known as the Clade Ib subclade, has surged in DR Congo. As of July 11, Tedros reported more than 11,000 cases and 445 deaths in the country, with children being especially affected. The disease has also spread to neighboring countries, raising international concern.
Since September 2023, a new strain of mpox, the Clade Ib subclade, has surged in DR Congo. As of July 11, Tedros reported over 11,000 cases and 445 deaths in the country, with children being particularly affected. The disease has also spread to neighboring countries, raising international concerns.
Since 2009, a PHEIC has been declared only seven times, addressing major health crises including H1N1 swine flu, poliovirus, Ebola, Zika virus, a second Ebola outbreak, Covid-19, and mpox.
Meanwhile, the WHO has launched a major public health intervention in Gaza after finding the poliovirus in wastewater. Tedros stated that the organization will send over one million polio vaccines to Gaza. These vaccines will be administered in the coming weeks to help prevent the spread of the disease in a region currently facing severe humanitarian challenges due to the ongoing Israeli bombardment.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has seen a rise in mpox cases, with a rapid spread also occurring in Kenya and several other African countries, raising concerns among health authorities. The World Health Organization has confirmed that this virulent strain poses a serious health threat.
Neighboring countries affected
In the past month about 50 confirmed cases and additional suspected cases have been reported in four countries neighboring the DRC—Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda—where no cases had been reported before.
Tedros explained that Mpox outbreaks are caused by different types of viruses known as clades.
Clade 1 has been circulating in the DRC for years while clade 2 was responsible for the global outbreak that began in 2022.
Increasing understanding and support
WHO is collaborating with the governments of the affected countries, the Africa Centre for Disease Control, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and other partners to understand and address the causes of these outbreaks.
Tedros stressed that stopping transmission will require a comprehensive response that places communities at the center.
WHO has also developed a $15 million regional response plan to support surveillance, preparedness, and response activities. This is in addition to releasing $1 million from an emergency fund to scale up the response with more funding expected to follow.
Currently, two mpox vaccines have been approved by WHO-listed national regulatory authorities and recommended by its expert group on immunizations, SAGE.
I have initiated the process for Emergency Use Listing of both vaccines which will accelerate vaccine access particularly for lower-income countries that have not yet issued their own national regulatory approvals ” he said.
Emergency Use Listing means that the global vaccine alliance Gavi and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will be able to procure and distribute doses.
The partners were also members of COVAX, the global mechanism designed to ensure COVID-19 vaccine equity.
The World Health Organization (WHO) was established on April 7, 1948, when its constitution was signed by 61 countries. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland it has since grown to include 194 member states. WHO was created as part of a global movement to improve health and living standards in the aftermath of World War II.
World Health Organization: WHO’s mission is to achieve the highest possible level of health for all people. This involves providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the research agenda setting standards, presenting evidence-based policy options, offering technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends .
global health leadership setting standards, research and development, technical assistance, health emergencies, and health information. These functions enable WHO to provide direction and guidance on global health issues develop and promote standards and guidelines, identify research priorities, support countries, respond to health crises and collect and disseminate health data.
The agency reported a 160 percent increase in cases this year, with deaths rising by 19 percent. The disease is also notably prevalent among the young, with 70 percent of cases and 85 percent of deaths in the DRC affecting children under the age of 15.
In 2022, the WHO declared mpox, also known as monkeypox, a global emergency after it spread to more than 70 countries.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week that mpox has been detected in 10 African nations this year. According to Al Jazeera, over 96 percent of these cases are located in Congo.
World Health Organization :It collaborates with other UN entities to ensure that human rights are recognized as a fundamental foundation for effective health service delivery. For example, this is achieved through the implementation of the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy across all three levels of WHO.