The World Health Organisation has declared that the increasing spread of mpox in Africa is a global health emergency, warning the virus might ultimately spill across international borders. The announcement by WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus came after a meeting of the UN health agency’s emergency committee. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared mpox a public health emergency on Tuesday.
Officials said there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in Africa this year, which already exceed last year’s figures. So far, more than 96 per cent of all cases and deaths are in a single country — the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Scientists are concerned by the spread of a new version of the disease there that might be more easily transmitted among people.
More than 4,000 cases of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, were detected in the UK following an outbreak in 2022 but UK health officials said although a new variant is causing greater concern, the current risk to Britons is low. The emergence last year and rapid spread of a new virus strain in DRC, clade 1b, is one of the main reasons for the latest WHO declaration. Currently, there are no cases of Clade 1 mpox confirmed in the UK.
The UK Health Security Agency welcome the move from the WHO to release funding to accelerate vaccine access for lower-income countries and support surveillance, preparedness and response activities. Dr Meera Chand, Deputy Director at UKHSA, .