The World Health Organisation has declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern after an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to neighbouring countries.
SUQIAN, CHINA - NOVEMBER 23, 2022 - Financial Illustration: MPOX, Suqian City, Jiangsu Province, China, November 23, 2022. The World Health Organization plans to rename monkeypox "MPOX". With a new variant of the viral infection and cases appearing in more and more countries, including Australia, health officials are calling for international efforts to stop the spread.
“Last week, I announced that I was convening an emergency committee under the International Health Regulations to evaluate the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries in Africa. 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."
"There are far more cases now than there were when the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern in 2022. In fact, if you look at the period, the most recent period, the number of cases in Africa is more than triple what it was when it was declared in 2022. So, it's very clear that we are now dealing with a different situation, a situation where the cases are far more than we've seen in the past year and in the past two years.
"Mpox is a global threat, a menace that knows no boundaries, no race, no creed. It is a virus that exploits our vulnerabilities, playing off our weakest points. And it is in this moment of vulnerability that we must find our greatest strength and demonstrate that we're all learning from the COVID lesson and applying solidarity."
The declaration of a global public health emergency is the W-H-O's highest level of alert and often accelerates research and funding directed at containing the outbreak.
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