WHO Declares Mpox A Global Health Emergency

(Scypre.com) – The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the spread of mpox across multiple African countries a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). This is the second such declaration in two years regarding the virus, underscoring the severity of the situation. The decision follows a similar announcement by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, signaling a coordinated effort to combat the virus’s spread.

Mpox, a virus related to smallpox, primarily affects people in African countries, where it is believed to be carried by small rodents. The virus causes painful rashes, fever, muscle aches, headaches, and respiratory symptoms. It is particularly dangerous for young children and those with weakened immune systems, with most deaths occurring in children under five.

The current outbreak involves two strains of the virus: clade IIb, responsible for a previous international outbreak, and clade Ib, which has evolved through person-to-person transmission. The latter is causing an outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and has spread to neighboring countries like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. This is the first time these countries have reported cases of mpox.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the urgency of a coordinated international response to stop the outbreak and save lives. “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,” he said.

The declaration of a PHEIC gives the WHO the authority to issue temporary recommendations to countries on addressing the outbreak. An expert panel, known as the emergency committee, is working to devise these recommendations.

Mpox is endemic in the DRC, where clade I, a more severe strain of the virus, is prevalent. The virus traditionally spreads among young children who come into contact with infected rodents. However, sexual transmission of clade I viruses has recently been observed, particularly in the eastern DRC, involving sex workers and men who have sex with men.

The outbreak in the eastern DRC has led to over 14,000 cases and more than 500 deaths. Transmission has spilled over into neighboring countries, which have reported roughly 90 cases in the past month. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has urged healthcare providers to consider mpox in patients with compatible symptoms who have traveled to the DRC or nearby countries.

Dimie Ogoina, a Nigerian infectious diseases expert, has been appointed chair of the new emergency committee. He stressed the importance of understanding how the virus is spreading in different populations to tailor interventions, including vaccine use. Currently, global supplies of mpox vaccines are limited, with about 500,000 doses available from Bavarian Nordic, the manufacturer of the Jynneos vaccine. The company could produce an additional 2.4 million doses by the end of the year, with the potential for another 10 million doses next year if firm orders are placed.

The U.S. government has already pledged to donate 50,000 vaccine doses from its Strategic National Stockpile to the DRC. WHO is also working with KM Biologics, which produces another vaccine, LC16, not yet commercialized but available through the Japanese government. WHO has called on countries with available vaccine doses to donate them to support the global response.

Anne Rimoin, an mpox expert at the University of California, Los Angeles, highlighted the challenges in controlling the outbreak. Surveillance in affected areas is not robust, and the conditions leading to virus spillovers from animals to humans are poorly understood. Rimoin noted that there are still many unanswered questions about the virus and its transmission, making it difficult to predict and prevent future outbreaks.

The declaration of a PHEIC is intended to elevate the attention the mpox outbreak receives globally and potentially secure funding for the response. In the previous mpox PHEIC, WHO appealed for nearly $34 million but did not receive donor support. A regional request for $15 million has already been made for the current response, but the number is expected to rise.