WHO chief mulls calling emergency committee on mpox

The World Health Organization’s chief said Sunday he was considering convening an expert committee to advise on whether the growing mpox outbreak in Africa should be declared an international emergency.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN health agency and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, among others, were increasing their response to the outbreak.

“As a deadlier strain of mpox spreads to multiple African countries, WHO, Africa CDC, local governments and partners are further scaling up the response to interrupt disease transmission,” Tedros said on social media platform X.

“But more funding and support for a comprehensive response are needed.

“I am considering convening an International Health Regulations emergency committee to advise me on whether the outbreak of mpox should be declared a public health emergency of international concern.”

A PHEIC is the highest alarm the WHO can sound. Tedros, as WHO director-general, can declare such an emergency on the advice of the committee.

International Health Regulations are the legally-binding framework for responding to public health emergencies.

Formerly known as monkeypox, mpox is an infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals that can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.

Mpox was first discovered in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A global mpox outbreak two years ago led the WHO to declare a PHEIC, which lasted from July 2022 to May 2023.

© 2024 AFP