Surge in cases prompts highest level of alert from World Health Organization
Pox viruses are oval shaped and have double-strand DNA. There are many types of pox virus, including chickenpox, mpox, and smallpox, which was eradicated in the 1970s.
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The palms of a patient during an outbreak of mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997.
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Geneva, Switzerland | AFP – The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the recent surge in mpox cases in Africa a global public health emergency. This declaration, the highest level of alert from the WHO, was announced on Wednesday by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The decision follows a recommendation from the emergency committee, which met to assess the worsening situation. According to Ghebreyesus, the committee's advice was clear: the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, has seen a dramatic rise in cases across Africa, with 15,132 confirmed cases reported since the beginning of 2024. The virus has spread to 16 countries, including Burundi, Cameroon, and Nigeria. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has already declared a continental public health emergency due to the rapid spread and increasing severity of the outbreak.
The WHO's declaration highlights the urgency of the situation, as the current outbreak features a particularly virulent strain of the virus with a higher fatality rate. The virus, which causes severe rashes and flu-like symptoms, has recently mutated, leading to increased transmissibility and severity. Health officials are calling for immediate global cooperation to manage and contain the outbreak, including accelerating vaccine distribution and enhancing surveillance and testing.
In response to the emergency, the WHO and partner organizations are expected to convene additional meetings to coordinate international efforts and deploy resources to the most affected areas. The global health community is bracing for further action to address this urgent public health threat.
(Sources: Agence France-Presse; Cheryl Water, The Conversation)
