GENEVA – The World Health Organization (WHO) has convened an emergency committee to determine whether the recent spread of the mpox outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
WHO Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced on Wednesday that the decision was prompted by the spread of mpox beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the potential for further international transmission within and outside Africa.
“In light of the spread of mpox outside the DRC, and the potential for further international spread within and outside Africa, I have decided to convene an Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations to advise me on whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern,” Tedros stated on X.
The committee, comprised of independent experts from diverse disciplines around the world, will meet “as soon as possible” to provide their assessment.
During a press briefing, Tedros highlighted that the DRC has reported 14,000 cases and 511 deaths since the beginning of the year. Additionally, approximately 50 confirmed and numerous suspected cases have been reported in four neighboring countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a rare disease caused by different viral clades, resulting in rashes and flu-like symptoms.
Clade 1 has been endemic in the DRC for years, while clade 2 was responsible for the global outbreak that began in 2022. The current outbreak in eastern DRC is attributed to a new offshoot of clade 1, known as clade 1b, which causes “more severe disease than clade 2,” according to Tedros.
Clade 1b has been confirmed in Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, while the clade present in Burundi is still under analysis. This year, cases of clade 1a have been reported in the DRC, the Central African Republic, and the Republic of Congo. Clade 2 has been identified in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, and South Africa.