“Let me be clear: this new Mpox epidemic“, 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”. The Director General of the UN Health Agency, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, gave the Member States of the World Health Organization (WHO) an update on the situation and the measures in the pipeline to deal with the new Mpox emergency.
“To respond to this complex epidemic, a comprehensive and coordinated international response is needed,” 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) for 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 to respond globally and in Africa, where the surge in cases is concentrated.
The data
“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 unprecedented growth and geographical expansion” of the epidemic. “Transmission is now concentrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo”, where “90% of the cases reported in 2024 are located. This year alone, more than 16 thousand suspected cases have occurred, 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 Plan of Preparedness and Response 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
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 #Latest #Mpox #News
