The Ministry of Health, through the Ghana Health Service, has implemented an emergency response plan to address the emerging threat of mpox disease in Ghana. This action follows the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recent declaration of mpox as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). On August 14, 2024, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced that the rising number of mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other African nations has prompted the PHEIC designation under the International Health Regulations (2005).
The WHO’s declaration highlights concerns over the disease’s potential to spread further across Africa and beyond. In response, Ghana’s Health Ministry aligns its efforts with the WHO’s global strategy to combat mpox, aiming to prevent its spread and enhance preparedness and response measures. Read the full statement below:.