WHO Declares Monkeypox a Global Health Emergency.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the monkeypox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency on August 14. The declaration came after a new and more dangerous strain of monkeypox, clade Ib, began spreading in four African countries that had never seen the disease before. The affected countries include Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
A person infected with monkeypox in Goma, North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo on July 16. PHOTO: REUTERSThe clade Ib strain had previously only been found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, the number of cases has increased to more than 14,000 since the beginning of the year, surpassing the total number of cases in 2023. In response, WHO has convened an emergency response committee of independent experts to advise WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the severity of the outbreak.
Dr Dimie Ogoina, chair of the committee, warned that the current situation is just “the tip of the iceberg” due to a lack of diagnostic information. “We still don’t have the full picture of monkeypox,” he stressed.
After the meeting, Tedros declared a global health emergency, the highest level of alert, amid concerns that the disease could spread beyond Africa. WHO is now working to increase supplies of monkeypox vaccines to Africa by negotiating with manufacturers and seeking aid from countries that have stockpiled vaccines.
The organization is working with the manufacturers of the MVA-BN vaccine (trade name Jynneos in the US) and the Japanese-developed LC16. A day earlier, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also declared monkeypox a public health emergency.
