On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), its highest level of alert, due to a new variant of the mpox viral disease in Africa.
At a press conference, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared that the “situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern” after an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has spread to neighbouring countries.
Mpox cases have been found in 13 African countries and its new form is spreading. It is the second time in two years the organisation has issued an alert for the disease.
“WHO is committed in the days and weeks ahead to coordinate the global response, working closely with each of the affected countries, and leveraging our on-the-ground presence, to prevent transmission, treat those infected, and save lives,” Tedros added.
Tedros’s declaration came on the advice of an IHR Emergency Committee of independent experts who met earlier in the day to review data presented by experts from WHO and affected countries. The Committee informed the Director-General that it considers the upsurge of mpox to be a PHEIC, with the potential to spread further across countries in Africa and possibly outside the continent.
Mpox has been reported in the DRC for more than a decade, and the number of cases reported each year has increased steadily over that period. Last year, reported cases increased significantly, and already the number of cases reported so far this year has exceeded last year’s total, with more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths.
“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. 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.”
The two vaccines currently in use for mpox are recommended by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, and are also approved by WHO-listed national regulatory authorities, as well as by individual countries including Nigeria and the DRC.
 declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), its highest level of alert, due to a new variant of the mpox viral disease in Africa.){kind=link}