Barely over a year after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that mpox was no longer a public health issue of international concern, it is back in the news. This time with a diversity of variants , new modes of transmission and new populations infected. In this interview, Oyewale Tomori, a professor of virology, explains why the declaration of mpox as a global public health emergency is connected with the failure of African governments to properly fund disease surveillance activities and create an environment for their deeply experienced health workers to function.
He also sheds light on what it takes to stop a disease outbreak . What's the advice of WHO on managing mpox? The WHO strategic framework for enhancing prevention and control of mpox 2024–2027 highlights the need for countries to take immediate action to ensure that surveillance, testing, treatment and vaccination responses are established and integrated with other health programs. This includes disease surveillance, sexual health services, risk communication and community engagement, primary health care, immunization and other clinical services.
The control and containment of the 2022–2023 multi-country outbreak within a year in non-endemic countries outside Africa was achieved through a combination of: African health workers have battled various disease outbreaks for more than half a century. What lessons have been learned? African health workers have over 50 years of experience dealing with different.