The World Health Organisation has declared a global emergency due to the rapid spread of monkeypox in African countries. This is reported by Komersant ukrainskyi
with reference to Reuters.
“It is clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
He added that the WHO has already allocated $1.5 million to fight the new mpox outbreak and plans to allocate more in the coming days. In total, the organisation’s plan to combat the infection will require $15 million, and the WHO intends to seek donor funding.
“The discovery and rapid spread of a new strain of mpox in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, its detection in neighbouring countries where mpox has not been previously reported, and the potential for further spread in Africa and beyond are very worrying,” said Ghebreyesus.
A new outbreak of monkeypox was recently reported in Congo, which soon spread to neighbouring countries including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. The African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) was forced to declare a public health emergency on the continent (PHECS).
This is the second time in three years that the WHO has declared a smallpox epidemic, describing it as a global emergency. Previously, it happened in July 2022. Then the outbreak affected almost 100,000 people in 116 countries and killed about 200 people.
This time, the threat is more dangerous. Since the beginning of 2024, more than 14,000 smallpox cases and 524 deaths have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone. In addition, the smallpox outbreak has spread to 13 African countries, including several where no cases have ever been reported before.
Monkeypox is a viral disease first identified in 1958. Symptoms include fever, muscle pain, a characteristic rash and itching. Severe cases are more common in people with weakened immune systems, children and pregnant women.