WHO Declares Global Emergency over New Mpox Outbreak
The W.H.O. declared a global health emergency for mpox, primarily affecting the DRC with over 14,000 cases. Vaccination efforts are limited, and international cooperation is crucial to control the outbreak.
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The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) has declared a global health emergency due to a new outbreak of mpox, previously known as monkeypox, which is primarily affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and has spread to 12 other African countries. This marks the second global emergency designation for mpox in three years, following a significant outbreak in 2022 that resulted in nearly 100,000 cases worldwide. The current outbreak has reported over 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in the DRC alone since the start of the year, with women and children under 15 being particularly vulnerable. The W.H.O. and the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have emphasized the need for immediate international action to control the virus's spread, which has been exacerbated by a new, more virulent strain. Vaccination efforts are underway, with two vaccines approved in the DRC, but the supply remains insufficient compared to the demand. Experts warn that if the outbreak continues to spread, it could pose a significant risk globally, especially to children. The W.H.O. is urging member countries to prepare for potential cases and to share resources with lower-income nations to combat the outbreak effectively.
- W.H.O. has declared a global health emergency over a new mpox outbreak.
- The outbreak is concentrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with over 14,000 cases reported this year.
- The current strain of mpox has a higher mortality rate compared to previous outbreaks.
- Vaccination efforts are limited, with a significant shortfall in available doses.
- Experts stress the importance of international cooperation to control the outbreak.
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5 comments> Until recently, it spread mainly through consumption of contaminated meat or close contact with infected animals and people. Most of the deaths have been in children, who in this region of Africa are already beset by malnutrition and infectious diseases like cholera, measles and polio.
> Should the outbreak spread globally, children in developed countries are likely to be less vulnerable to severe illness, experts have said.
> Last year, for the first time, scientists discovered sexual transmission of this version of mpox, with cases split about equally among young men and women. According to genetic analyses, sometime around September, the virus gained mutations that enabled it to spread more readily among people. It has done so partly through heterosexual prostitution.
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