WHO Director Considers Declaring Public Health Emergency Over Mpox Virus Outbreak

WHO Director Contemplates Declaring Public Health Emergency Due to Mpox Virus Outbreak

August 6, 2024 TruthUSA

Officials warn that Mpox, also known as monkeypox, has reached outbreak levels in some African countries.

The World Health Organization’s director-general mentioned that the United Nations health body is considering declaring an emergency for Mpox, also known as monkeypox, due to the outbreak in Africa.

“But more funding and support for a comprehensive response are needed,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on the social media platform X on Sunday. “I am considering convening an International Health Regulations emergency committee to advise me on whether the outbreak of Mpox should be declared a public health emergency of international concern.”

As of Tuesday, it remained unclear when the WHO would declare the emergency or issue any warnings about the virus.

A statement from Tedros published by the journal Science added that “this virus can and must be contained with intensified public health measures including surveillance, community engagement, treatment and targeted deployment of vaccines for those at higher risk of infection.”

His statement emphasized the urgent need for a further scaling up of the Mpox response in affected countries amid the expanding outbreak, calling for “more funding for a comprehensive response” that incorporates diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines.

A public health emergency of international concern is the strongest designation for an outbreak, as was declared for COVID-19 during the initial stages of the pandemic in 2020.

Following the Mpox outbreak from 2022 to 2023, a public health emergency was declared by President Joe Biden’s administration. During that outbreak, which affected Europe and the United States, officials noted that Mpox primarily spread through sexual contact between men.

The recent announcement coincides with a report from Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stating that Mpox has been detected in 10 African countries this year, with Congo reporting over 96 percent of all cases and deaths.

Nearly 70 percent of cases in Congo are impacting children under 15 years old, who also represent 85 percent of the deaths.

According to the Africa CDC report, an estimated 14,250 cases have been reported so far this year, nearly matching the total from last year. Compared to the first seven months of 2023, cases have increased by 160 percent and deaths by 19 percent.

Burundi and Rwanda reported the virus for the first time this week, with new outbreaks also emerging in the Central African Republic and Kenya.

“We are very concerned about the cases of monkeypox, which is ravaging (the capital region),” remarked Central African Republic’s public health minister, Pierre Somse, on Monday.

Two confirmed cases were announced in Uganda, noted in an Aug. 4 notice by the International Society for Infectious Diseases, citing Uganda’s health ministry.

“Both individuals presented with symptoms such as skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, and general malaise, which are consistent with Mpox,” stated the Ugandan Health Ministry.

In a recent statement, Kenya’s Health Ministry disclosed the discovery of Mpox in a passenger traveling from Uganda to Rwanda at a border crossing in southern Kenya, highlighting that a single case was sufficient to declare an outbreak.

Over the weekend, South Africa health officials announced that the country has reported 22 cases of Mpox, including three fatalities.

“Contact tracing and monitoring activities are ongoing in the affected communities in both provinces, and the Department urges all the identified contacts to cooperate with health officials during contact tracing for screening and possible diagnosis to prevent further transmission of this preventable and treatable disease,” declared the South Africa Health Department in a statement released on Aug. 4.

Symptoms of Mpox, as outlined by the U.S. CDC website, include a rash that may appear on various parts of the body, along with fever, swollen lymph nodes, chills, aches, exhaustion, and respiratory symptoms like a cough, nasal congestion, or sore throat. The rash can develop scabs and initially resemble blisters or pimples, which could be itchy or painful.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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