By Sharon Atieno
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the mpox outbreaks witnessed across the African region, a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This is the highest level of alarm under international health law.
The decision, a second of its kind on the virus (the previous one was declared from May 2022 to July 2023), follows a meeting held between Dr.Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’ s Director General and the Emergency Committee on mpox.
The declaration aligns with that of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) which termed the situation a Public health emergency of regional security.
In 2024 alone, there have been 14,000 reported cases of mpox virus and about 524 deaths, a rise from the cases reported in 2023.
As of 13th August, the Africa CDC notes that there have been 2,863 cases reported in the region and 517 deaths, mostly occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Suspected cases across the continent have surged past 17,000, a significant increase from 7,146 cases in 2022 and 14,957 cases in 2023.
With at least 15 African countries affected, including previously unaffected nations like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, the WHO Director-General cautioned against the potential of the disease spreading across other parts of the continent.
“In addition to other outbreaks of other clades of mpox in other parts of Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” he said.
The mpox outbreaks have been linked to different viruses called clades. Clade 1 has been circulating in the DRC for years while clade 2 was responsible for the global outbreak of 2022 which was declared an international public health emergency.
According to Dr. Ghebreyesus, there was a transmission of clade 1b virus in the DRC last year which was caused “mainly through sexual networks.” This clade is reportedly deadlier and more easily transmitted from person to person.
He noted that in the past month that around 90 cases of successor clade 1b were reported in countries neighbouring the DRC which had not reported mpox cases before.
“Stopping these outbreaks will require a tailored and comprehensive response, with communities at the centre, as always,” he said.
On the other hand, the Africa CDC Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya called for collective action in handling the situation, adding that there is a need for global collaboration to provide the needed support required by the continent.
To address the Mpox outbreak in Africa, Africa CDC has set up a 25-member Incident Management Team based at the epicenter of the Mpox epidemic with a mandate to support affected and at-risk countries.
It has also signed a partnership agreement with the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) and Bavarian Nordic to provide over 215,000 doses of the MVA-BN® vaccine.
On its part, the WHO is providing machines to analyze blood samples and confirm cases of mpox while supporting laboratories to sequence viral samples. The organization is also supporting on-ground case investigation and contact tracing and providing training for healthcare workers.
WHO has also developed a regional response plan, requiring an initial $15 million to support surveillance, preparedness and response activities.
This response was funded by $1.45 million from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies with more funds expected to be released in the coming days.
