WHO, Africa CDC declare mpox health emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mpox a global health emergency a day after the Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC) issued a similar declaration. 

The virus, formerly known as monkeypox, causes a painful skin rash, flu-like symptoms, and can be deadly, particularly in children. So far, at least 12 African countries have confirmed cases of mpox, according to the Africa CDC, and there have been 2,863 confirmed cases, 517 confirmed deaths, and 17,000 suspected cases across the continent. 

The surge in cases is being driven by a new strain of the mpox virus that has been rapidly spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries. The virus can be transmitted through close contact with infected individuals or objects, and the new strain is primarily spreading through sexual contact and transmission, according to the WHO. 

The virus has been detected in countries that were previously unaffected, including Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda. The WHO said there is the potential for the virus to spread further throughout Africa and possibly outside the continent, making it a public health emergency of international concern. 

In a sign of the risk, Sweden confirmed its first case of mpox on 15 August. 

Africa CDC said it was declaring mpox a health emergency to enable the mobilisation of resources and funding to help affected countries boost surveillance and testing and to facilitate a coordinated approach to addressing the disease.  

Currently, there are two mpox vaccines recommended by the WHO. However, doses are currently unavailable in DRC. Last week the WHO director-general took steps aimed at accelerating vaccine access for lower-income countries to to help enable the procurement and distribution of doses. 

Africa CDC is working on procuring three million vaccine doses. For now, only around 65,000 are reportedly in the pipeline for DRC, and even those likely won’t be able to be administered for several months. 

Africa CDC says the continent has failed to receive enough global support to combat the virus since mpox was first declared a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO in 2022. When cases reached Europe and the United States, vaccines were quickly mobilised to bring an end to outbreaks. 

“As global cases began to decline, the escalating numbers in Africa were largely ignored,” said the statement from Africa CDC declaring the latest mpox outbreak a public health emergency.  

For more on what can be done to change the current disparities in the response to global disease outbreaks, listen to: