The outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and spreading to neighboring countries continues to grow.
On Thursday afternoon, WHO Sweden has become the first country outside Africa to record a case of the Clade 1 mpox variant believed to be responsible for the latest outbreak.
“We are working hard on the front lines of the response, working closely with governments and communities to strengthen mpox control measures. and is stepping up efforts to contain the spread of the virus through coordinated action with partners and national authorities,” speak Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
Viral diseases, a global concern
Mpox – formerly known as monkeypox – is a viral disease that can be transmitted through physical contact with infected people, animals or objects.
The disease was first detected in humans in 1970 in the DRC and is considered endemic in Central and West African countries.
Outbreaks of the disease are caused by several different types of mpox viruses called groups, and the group 1 strain has been circulating in the DRC for many years.
The emergence of a new clade – clade 1b – and its rapid spread, including to neighboring countries, was one of the main reasons why the WHO declared on Wednesday that mpox constitutes a public health emergency of international importance (PHEIC).
So far this year, More than 2,100 laboratory-confirmed cases of the disease and 13 deaths have been reported in the DRC and 11 other countries.: Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.
Meanwhile, there were only 1,145 confirmed cases and seven deaths in 11 countries in all of 2023.
Support and cooperation
WHO is stepping up support to affected countries by deploy additional experts, including epidemiologists and anthropologistsand provide initial funding to accelerate response measures to the outbreak.
Efforts are underway to strengthen cross-border cooperation in case investigation, contact tracing and community engagement to ensure compliance with prevention measures.
The UN agency is also supporting national regulatory authorities. expedite regulatory approval processas well as providing guidance to national immunization technical advisory groups to ensure vaccine deployment readiness.
Improving access to vaccines
WHO has also begun the process of Emergency Use Listing (EUL) For the mpox vaccine, this would make it easier to access in lower-income countries that have yet to issue national regulatory approval.
EUL stands for partners such as Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) will be able to purchase doses for distribution.
WHO is also working to strengthen national diagnostic capacities by providing test kits and reagents, as well as machines for triage. Genome sequencing is also underway to identify mpox strains.
To enhance preparedness in DRC neighboring countries and at-risk countries, disease surveillance and training of frontline health workers are being enhanced, along with public awareness campaigns.
