The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared the ongoing surge of Mpox in Africa a global public health emergency, marking the situation as one of its highest-level alerts.
The decision was made following a meeting of health experts convened by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to assess the outbreak and provide recommendations.
“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,” Tedros announced during a press conference.
He stressed the seriousness of the situation, stating, “This is something that should concern us all.”
This declaration follows a similar alert issued by the African Union’s health watchdog in response to the growing outbreak, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The virus, previously known as monkeypox, was first identified in humans in the DRC in 1970 and has since spread to other countries.
Tedros highlighted the severity of the current outbreak, noting that more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths have been reported in the DRC this year alone, surpassing last year’s figures.
“The emergence last year and rapid spread of clade 1b in DRC, which appears to be spreading mainly through sexual networks, and its detection in countries neighboring DRC is especially concerning, and one of the main reasons for my decision to convene this emergency committee,” Tedros explained.
He added that around 90 cases of clade 1b have been reported in four neighboring countries—Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda—that had not previously reported Mpox.
PHEIC Status and Global Response
A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is the highest level of alarm that the WHO can declare, triggering emergency responses globally under the legally binding International Health Regulations. This marks the second PHEIC declared for Mpox, albeit for a different and more lethal strain of the virus.
In May 2022, a global surge in Mpox cases, primarily affecting gay and bisexual men due to the clade 2b subclade, led to the first PHEIC for Mpox, which lasted from July 2022 to May 2023. That outbreak, which has now largely subsided, resulted in around 140 deaths out of 90,000 cases.
The current outbreak, driven by the clade 1b subclade in the DRC since September 2023, is more severe, with a higher fatality rate. Mpox is an infectious disease caused by a virus that can be transmitted to humans by infected animals and spread from person to person through close physical contact. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and large boil-like skin lesions.
The WHO recommends two vaccines for Mpox, but access remains challenging, particularly in resource-poor regions.
Marion Koopmans, director of the Pandemic and Disaster Management Centre at Erasmus University Rotterdam, commented on the implications of the PHEIC declaration, stating that it “raises the level of alert, globally, and may allow WHO to access funds for emergency response.”
However, she emphasized that the ongoing priorities remain in investing in diagnostic capacity, public health response, treatment support, and vaccination. She also warned that the DRC and its neighboring countries face significant resource constraints, complicating the response.
At a global level, the Red Cross announced it is scaling up preparedness measures across Africa, particularly in the heavily affected eastern DRC.
The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies expressed “profound concern” about the virus’s spread and highlighted its readiness to play a crucial role in containing the disease, even in hard-to-reach areas where the need is most acute.
As the WHO works closely with affected countries to coordinate the global response, the organization remains committed to preventing further transmission, treating those infected, and saving lives in the days and weeks ahead.