Geneva: In light of the spread of Mpox outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the potential for further international spread within and outside Africa, WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced today the convening of the Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations to advise him on whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.
“The committee will meet as soon as possible and will be made up of independent experts from a range of relevant disciplines from around the world,” Dr Ghebreyesus told media persons here today.
While outbreaks of Mpox have been reported in DRC for decades, and the number of cases reported each year has been increasing steadily, in the past month, about 50 confirmed and more suspected cases have been reported in four countries neighbouring the DRC that have not reported before – Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
Moreover, since the beginning of this year, DRC has been experiencing a severe outbreak of Mpox, with more than 14,000 reported cases and 511 deaths. The number of cases reported in the first six months of this year matches the number reported in all of last year, and the virus has spread to previously unaffected provinces.
Mpox outbreaks are caused by different viruses called clades. Clade 1 has been circulating in the DRC for years, while clade 2 was responsible for the global outbreak which began in 2022. The current outbreak in the Eastern DRC is caused by a new offshoot of Clade 1, called Clade 1b, which causes more severe disease than Clade 2.
Clade 1b has been confirmed in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, while the clade in Burundi is still being analysed. At the same time, cases of clade 1a have been reported this year in DRC, the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo, while Clade 2 has been reported in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria and South Africa.
Dr. Ghebreyesus said the WHO was working with the governments of the affected countries, the Africa CDC, NGOs, civil society and other partners to understand and address the drivers of these outbreaks. “Stopping transmission will require a comprehensive response, with communities at the centre,” he added.
WHO has ‘Standing Recommendations’ on Mpox which include advice not to impose travel restrictions on affected countries and has developed a regional response plan, requiring US$ 15 million to support surveillance, preparedness and response activities.
“We have released US$ 1 million from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies to support scale-up of the response, and we plan to release more in the coming days,” the WHO D-G said.
Two vaccines for mpox have been approved by WHO-listed national regulatory authorities, and are recommended by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, or SAGE. “I have triggered the process for Emergency Use Listing of both vaccines, which will accelerate vaccine access, particularly for lower-income countries, which have not yet issued their own national regulatory approval. Emergency Use Listing also enables partners including Gavi and UNICEF to procure vaccines for distribution,” Dr Ghebreyesus said and expressed WHO’s gratefulness to Japan, the United States, the European Union and manufacturers for working with the Organization on vaccine donations.
“We are working with all partners through the interim Medical Countermeasures Network to facilitate equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and other tools,” he said.
– global bihari bureau
