WHO Declares Mpox a Public Health Emergency Amid New Strain in Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially classified mpox as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). This declaration was announced on Wednesday during a media briefing by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Dr. Ghebreyesus stated, “Today, the Emergency Committee met and advised me that in its view, the situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice.” This recent PHEIC announcement follows similar declarations regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the previous mpox outbreak in 2022.

While mpox is generally endemic to certain areas of Central and Western Africa, there has been a notable increase in cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). As of this year, the WHO reports that over 14,000 mpox cases and 524 related deaths have been documented in the DRC.

Two main types of mpox exist: clade I and clade II. Clade refers to species that share a common ancestor. Traditionally, clade I has prompted small, localized outbreaks in the DRC for years. However, researchers have identified a new variant known as clade Ib, which appears to spread through sexual contact and is currently driving the outbreak in the DRC.

The emergence of clade Ib has raised concern, especially as it was detected in neighboring countries—including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda—that have never reported mpox cases before. Dr. Ghebreyesus convened the WHO’s emergency committee in response to these developments.

“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,” Dr. Ghebreyesus emphasized during the briefing.

On the same day, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced that mpox is a public health emergency of continental security (PHECS). This is the first declaration of its kind since the establishment of the Africa CDC in 2017, highlighting the gravity of the situation.

Additionally, the WHO published a report indicating that in June alone, there were 934 new laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox and four deaths reported across 26 countries, underscoring the ongoing global transmission of the virus.

In the United States, there have been 1,594 reported mpox cases this year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This figure is more than double the number of national cases recorded during the same period last year, yet it remains significantly lower than the peak levels experienced during the U.S. mpox outbreak in 2022.

The CDC also noted that there have been no reports of clade I mpox cases outside Central and Eastern Africa, including within the U.S. The organization asserts that the risk to the American public regarding the type of mpox currently circulating in the DRC remains low.

To combat the threat of mpox, the U.S. is using the JYNNEOS vaccine, which is a two-dose vaccine approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of smallpox and mpox. Data from Africa indicates that two doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine are at least 85% effective in preventing mpox infection.

As health authorities continue to monitor the situation, the implications of the newly recognized clade Ib and its effects on public health systems, both regionally and globally, remain a crucial area of focus.

Source: ABC News