By Nelson Manneh
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday 14th August 2024 declared mpox outbreak in parts of Africa as a public health emergency of international concern.
“The highly contagious disease – formerly known as monkeypox – has killed at least 450 people during an initial outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” records indicated.
Mpox originated from the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1970s, mpox was neglected there, according to the WHO.
“It is time to act decisively to prevent history from repeating itself,” said Dimie Ogoina who chairs the International Health Regulations’ Emergency Committee, which advises WHO on such matters.
The mpox has now spread across parts of central and east Africa, and scientists are concerned about how fast a new variant of the disease is spreading and its high `fatality rate.
The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General on behalf of his institution declared mpox as a Public Health Emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
The declaration of mpox as a public health emergency was first made by the Africa CRD Director General Jean Kaseya on August 13, 2024.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond “is very worrying”.
“A coordinated international response is essential to stop this outbreak and save lives,” he said.
Mpox is transmitted through close contact, such as sex, skin-to-skin contact, and talking or breathing close to another person.
It causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions and can be fatal, with four in 100 cases leading to death.
Mpox is now considered a global health emergency as cases surge in Central Africa and a new subtype of the virus, which causes severe illness, spreads to multiple countries – prompting concerns about a lockdown over the virus formerly known as monkeypox in the United States.
Outbreaks can be controlled by preventing infections with vaccines, though these are usually only available for people at risk or those who have been in close contact with an infected person.
There are two main types of mpox – Clade 1 and Clade 2.
A previous mpox public health emergency, declared in 2022, was caused by the relatively mild Clade 2. However, this time it is the far more deadly Clade 1 – which has killed up to 10% of those getting sick in previous outbreaks – that is surging.
There was a change in the virus around September last year. Mutations led to an offshoot – called Clade 1b – that has since spread rapidly. This new variant has been labelled “the most dangerous yet” by one scientist.
Since the start of the year, there have been more than 13,700 cases of mpox in DR Congo, with at least 450 deaths.
It has since been detected in other African countries – including Burundi, the Central African Republic, Kenya, and Rwanda.
It is hoped the declaration of mpox as a public health emergency will lead to research, funding, and the introduction of other international public health measures being accelerated.
Dr Josie Golding, from the Wellcome Trust, said it was a “strong signal”, while Emory University’s Dr Boghuma Titanji said the move “underscores the gravity of the crisis”.
Prof Trudie Lang, the director of the Global Health Network at the University of Oxford, said it was “important and timely”, but added that the emergence of a new strain meant there were “many unknowns that need to be addressed”.
