Monkeypox, WHO: “It can be stopped, 135 million dollars needed in 6 months”
“Let me be clear: this new epidemic of Mpox,” so-called monkeypox, “can be controlled and stopped. To achieve this, concerted action is needed. between international agencies and national and local partners, civil society, researchers and producers and States. Our approach must respect the principles of equity, global solidarity, community empowerment, human rights and coordination between sectors”. To take stock of the situation for the member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) on the situation and the measures being planned to deal with the new Mpox emergencywas the director general of the UN health agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“Responding to this complex epidemic requires a comprehensive and coordinated international response,” he stressed. “And to fund this work and stop the epidemic as quickly as possible, our initial estimates are that the Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) at Mpox requires approximately $135 million over the next 6 months for the acute phase of the epidemic.” Resources are needed, he explained, adding that “the estimated amount is likely to increase as the plan is updated in light of growing needs. A dedicated WHO appeal for funding will be published early next week. We are urging donors to provide the necessary resources and we thank those who have already made pledges to WHO and other partners.” The DG also updated on the measures being taken for a response globally and in Africa, where the surge in cases is concentrated.
“Since the beginning of the global Mpox epidemic in 2022, more than one hundred thousand confirmed cases have been reported to WHO. – the head of the agency summarized – The virus continues to circulate at low levels in the world. The African region has” instead “recorded an unprecedented growth and geographical expansion” of the epidemic. “Transmission is now concentrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo”, where “90% are located of cases reported in 2024. This year alone, there have been more than 16,000 suspected cases, including 575 deaths.
This surge is caused by two distinct outbreaks, in different parts of the country, of two clades of the Mpox virus. The rapid spread of a new strain, clade 1b, is the main reason for the decision to declare a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC),” explained the DG, also recalling the temporary recommendations issued 5 days later. In the past month, cases of clade 1b have been reported in 4 countries bordering the DRC, where Mpox had not previously been reported: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda (which has since confirmed two more cases). And this week, DG Tedros recalled, cases have also been reported in Thailand and Sweden. Given the situation, a Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan has therefore been drawn up “to stop outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of Mpox through coordinated efforts at global, regional and national levels”.
The plan against monkeypox
The plan focuses on implementing comprehensive surveillance and response strategies; promoting research and equitable access to medical countermeasures; minimizing zoonotic transmission; and empowering communities to actively participate in the prevention and control of outbreaks. The briefing held yesterday, the WHO DG finally explained, was requested by members of the Standing Committee on Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Health Emergencies, which held its first extraordinary meeting last Thursday, just 24 hours after the declaration of the international emergency. “Further updates – he informed – will be discussed at the fifth meeting of the Standing Committee on 3 and 4 September”.
Monkeypox, Italy’s “plan” to tackle it
Italy is waiting for 30,000 doses of vaccine at about $100 per dose. An answer, he reports Panorama, formal response to the international alert issued by the WHO, which to date has recorded only one case in Europe, and which has pushed Italy to stock up on vaccine to prevent the introduction and spread of the virus on the territory, even if the cases, as we have seen in the past, have never reached worrying levels. In fact, Italy, like many other European countries, had already rapidly adopted containment measures in 2022, which included the distribution of doses of the vaccine originally developed for human smallpox but also effective against monkeypox. The first tranche of 16,000 doses distributed only in some regions was reserved mainly for groups considered at risk, such as health workers and people with high-risk sexual behavior. As of today 30,000 doses are available for the current epidemiological situation, with voluntary vaccination recommended only for those at risk, and an additional 30,000 doses are expected to be authorized.
Monkeypox, the indications of the Ministry of Health
Following the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Emergency Committee of the International Health Regulations (IHR), the Italian Ministry of Health has adopted a series of preventive measures to monitor and contain monkeypox. The measures adopted, such as intensified surveillance, awareness-raising of travelers to at-risk areas, and protection of healthcare workers, are standard precautions to ensure the safety of the population. The Ministry of Health has also created a dedicated page for Mpox on its institutional portal, providing updated data and information resources to address any concerns. Even though vigilance is high, the situation does not require alarmism, but only conscious attention and reasoned preventive measures.
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