The outbreak of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and an increasing number of other African nations has been deemed a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
On the recommendation of an independent expert panel called the IHR Emergency Committee, which convened earlier in the day to examine data submitted by WHO and affected country experts, Dr. Tedros made his announcement. The Committee notified the Director-General that it believed the mpox outbreak to be a PHEIC, having the potential to spread to other African nations as well as possibly beyond.
The Director-General shall distribute the Committee’s meeting report and, acting upon the Committee’s guidance, make interim recommendations to nations.
“The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighboring countries are very worrying,” Dr. Tedros said in declaring the PHEIC. In addition to additional mpox clade epidemics in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African nations, it is evident that a concerted international response is required to contain these outbreaks and save lives.
“Significant efforts are already underway in close collaboration with communities and governments, with our country teams working on the frontlines to help reinforce measures to curb mpox,” stated Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director of WHO for Africa. We’re stepping up further with coordinated worldwide action to help countries put an end to the outbreaks as a result of the virus’s increasing spread.
This PHEIC determination for mpox is the second in the last two years. First reported in humans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970, mpox is caused by an orthopoxvirus. It is believed that the illness is endemic to nations in central and western Africa.
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For almost a decade, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been the source of reports of mpox, with an annual increase in cases observed throughout that time. The number of cases reported rose dramatically the previous year, and as of now, this year’s total—more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths—has surpassed that of the previous year.
