WHO declares 2024 Megapox outbreak a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern”

The World Health Organization has declared MPOX a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Cases of MPOX, formerly known as monkeypox, have been rapidly increasing in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In recent weeks, cases have emerged in neighboring African countries, including several that have never previously reported cases of MPOX.

“What we're seeing is just the tip of the iceberg of weaknesses in surveillance systems,” he said. Dr. Dima OgoyinHe is chair of the emergency committee convened by WHO and an infectious diseases physician at Niger Delta University in Nigeria.

“This should concern us all,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The WHO has declared seven public health emergencies to date, and plans to declare one for MPOX in 2022. The current strain of MPOX is known to be more deadly than the strain that swept the world two years ago.

“We need to be proactive.”

On Tuesday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention followed suit, declaring MPOX a state of emergency.

Africa CDC has never done anything like this before.

“We can no longer be passive. We need to be proactive and proactive.” Dr. Jean Kaseya“This is a fight for all Africans and we will fight it together,” said the Africa CDC Director-General.

So Democratic Republic of the Congo In the Democratic Republic of Congo, children account for the majority of the 14,000 cases and 511 deaths reported so far in 2024. These figures are roughly in line with the number of cases reported in the country over the last year and far exceed the figures reported for MPOX in 2022.

“[The declaration] “This is a wake-up call for the world that urgent action is needed,” he said. Dr. Nicole LurieJonathan Mather, executive director of emergency preparedness and response at the Norway-based Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, said in a statement.

Doctor, they are Titans.The declaration is “an important step toward strengthening collaboration among African countries to address the ongoing polio epidemic,” said an assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine in a statement.

Why is Africa so worried?

In recent weeks, a new and alarming development has emerged: Mpox has been detected in countries where no cases had previously been identified: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda have reported about 50 confirmed cases and many more suspected cases, according to World Health Organization officials.

The Africa CDC is mindful of past health emergencies and is working quickly to rally international support. “We were abandoned during the COVID pandemic, and now we don't want to be abandoned again. We don't want to be dependent. We are taking the appropriate action.” Kaseya noted that declaring a public health emergency is a new power the African Union gave the agency in 2023. Kaseya said the agency sought input from more than 600 experts, and that a scientific committee convened to consider the MPOX situation unanimously recommended declaring a public health emergency.

Kaseya says it's particularly worrying that about 70% of those infected in the Democratic Republic of Congo are children under the age of 18. “This is a big wake-up call for the world,” he says. “Africa is losing its young people.”

Experts believe the high number of infections and deaths among children is because children are not receiving protection from the smallpox vaccine – which was discontinued after the virus was eradicated in 1980 – and because about 40 percent of children in the region are malnourished, making it harder for their bodies to fight the virus.

US response

There are also MPOX concerns in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an MPOX alert last week. While the risk to the general U.S. population remains low, Christina Hutson, a senior scientific adviser at the U.S. CDC, said it is important for clinicians, health officials and travelers to be aware of the virus's prevalence in Africa and to watch for symptoms.

And last week, the U.S. Agency for International Development announced thatAn ongoing catastropheIn the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we will provide $10 million for the MPOX response and 50,000 doses of the MPOX vaccine.

Japan, the United States, the European Union and vaccine manufacturers are working to donate vaccines, while the Africa CDC says demand far exceeds planned supplies.

“We need vaccines. Today we are talking about 200,000 doses of vaccines. [becoming] “The vaccine is available. We need at least 10 million doses,” Kaseya said. “The vaccine is very expensive, about $100 per dose. Not many African countries can afford the cost of this vaccine.”

The type of MPOX that's prevalent in eastern DRC, especially among sex workers and other adults, and that's spreading to neighboring countries, is a subtype called clade Ib. (Clade is a term used to describe variants of MPOX.) This is a new type of MPOX, and scientists are excited about it and discovering new information about it, both good and bad.

The CDC's Hutson says genetic changes in the virus have made it harder to detect with diagnostic tests. This is also the first time that lineage Ib has been seen transmitted sexually. But it appears to be less deadly than the original lineage I that is circulating in other parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The death toll has fallen to less than 1%. That's at least a positive sign, Hutson says.

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