The World Health Organization on 14th August declared the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency.
WHO convened its emergency committee amid concerns that a deadlier strain of the virus, clade Ib, had reached four previously unaffected African countries. This strain had previously been contained to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The independent experts held a virtual meeting on Wednesday to explain the outbreak’s severity to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. After that, he announced that he had declared a public health emergency of international concern — the highest alarm level under international health law.
“The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of mpox in eastern DRC, its detection in neighboring countries that had not previously reported mpox, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying,” the Director said.
Mpox (monkeypox) is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, and fever. Most people fully recover, but some get very sick.
Earlier this week, Africa’s top public health body declared an mpox emergency for the continent after warning that the viral infection was spreading at an alarming rate, with more than 17,000 suspected cases and more than 500 deaths this year, mainly among children in Congo.
Professor Dimie Ogoina, chair of WHO’s mpox emergency committee, said all members unanimously agreed that the current upsurge of cases is an “extraordinary event,” with a record number of cases in Congo.
Stay tuned with BuzyFeed for important health updates!
