Janet Ogundepo The World Health Organisation has warned that Mpox remains a global health threat, voicing concern over the increased outbreak of a new deadlier strain of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the global health body, Mpox has been reported so far in 26 countries as of July. The Director-General, WHO, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, stated this on Thursday during an online media conference.
He said the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo showed no sign of slowing, with more than 11,000 cases reported in 2024 and 445 deaths, with children being the most affected. Ghebreyesus added, “South Africa recently reported 20 cases of mpox to WHO, including three deaths, with the first cases in that country since 2022. “The cases were all men, and most self-identified as men who have sex with men.
“None had reported any history of international travel, which suggests the confirmed cases are a small proportion of all cases, and that community transmission is ongoing.” According to him, WHO is supporting both DRC and South Africa to respond to the outbreaks, conduct surveillance, engage affected communities, and develop immunisation strategies to ensure the most effective response. Ghebreyesus said that in early July, the United States reported a fourth human case of H5N1 following exposure to infected dairy cows.
He said that Cambodia also reported two cases in children who had contact with sick or dead chickens. He added that “at the m.