The World Health Organization has designated the surge in monkeypox virus infections in Africa as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and urged a vaccination campaign.
The virus has long been endemic in central Africa, mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When it first began spreading in late 2022, the WHO declared an emergency – and renamed the disease mpox, to avoid “stigma.”
“On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
Tedros made the announcement after the WHO emergency committee decided the surge in infections had the potential to spread across Africa and possibly outside the continent.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has already declared a health emergency, citing the spread of the virus to Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
According to the WHO, more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths have been reported so far this year, more than the total for the whole of last year.
The virus “appears to be spreading mainly through sexual networks,” Dr. Tedros said, describing the development as “especially concerning.” The WHO has long designated gay men as a key demographic affected by the virus.
“The current upsurge of mpox in parts of Africa, along with the spread of a new sexually transmissible strain of the monkeypox virus, is an emergency not only for Africa, but for the entire globe,” WHO Emergency Committee Chair Professor Dimie Ogoina said on Wednesday.
“Mpox, originating in Africa, was neglected there, and later caused a global outbreak in 2022. It is time to act decisively to prevent history from repeating itself,” Ogoina added.
The WHO has recommended using two of the vaccines approved by national regulators and initiated emergency use procedures allowing countries that have yet to approve the shots to use them.
Dr. Tedros has estimated the initial cost of the regional response plan to stop the spread of the virus at $15 million. The WHO has already released $1.45 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies, with plans to disburse more in the coming days.
The disease is primarily transmitted through skin and mucosal contact with an infected person, contaminated materials, or infected animals. Symptoms include an acute rash, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, muscle and body aches, high fever, and headaches. The virus was first detected in macaque monkeys in the late 1950s, leading to its original designation. The WHO registered the first human case in 1970 in Zaire, now known as DR Congo.
