The World Health Organization (WHO) has escalated the mpox outbreaks in Africa to a global health emergency, marking the highest level of alarm under international health law. This declaration comes as a new, more virulent strain of the virus spreads across the continent, with confirmed cases among both children and adults in over a dozen countries.
Earlier this week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) reported that the outbreaks, primarily centered in Congo, have resulted in over 500 deaths. The agency called for urgent international support to curb the virus’s spread.
“This is something that should concern us all… The potential for further spread beyond Africa is very worrying,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated.
The Africa CDC highlighted that mpox, also known as monkeypox, has been detected in 13 countries this year, with Congo accounting for over 96% of all reported cases and deaths. The outbreak has seen a 160% increase in cases and a 19% rise in deaths compared to the same period last year. To date, more than 14,000 cases have been reported, with 524 fatalities.
Salim Abdool Karim, a South African infectious disease expert, noted that the new strain of mpox originating from Congo has a death rate of about 3-4%, a significant increase from the less than 1% fatality rate observed during the global 2022 outbreak.
Michael Marks, a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “It’s a failure of the global community that things had to get this bad to release the resources needed.”
In Congo, nearly 70% of mpox cases are among children under 15, who also represent 85% of the deaths. The WHO is now focused on coordinating a global response to prevent further transmission, treat those infected, and save lives.
This emergency declaration marks a significant escalation in the global response to the mpox crisis, as the WHO aims to mobilize resources and support for affected countries in a bid to control the outbreak and mitigate its impact.
