WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge on Tuesday stressed that mpox, whether the new or old strain, is not the new COVID and that global efforts are crucial to controlling its spread.
During a media briefing, Kluge urged for decisive action to manage and eliminate mpox, warning that how the world responds will be a critical test for future public health efforts.
‘Must tackle mpox’
“We can and must tackle mpox together,” the WHO regional director for Europe said. “So will we choose to put the systems in place to control and eliminate mpox globally? Or we will enter another cycle of panic and neglect? How we respond now and in the years to come will prove a critical test for Europe and the world,” he added.
Mpox: What you need to know about the latest global public health emergency ⤵️https://t.co/8IglCDS2L8 pic.twitter.com/RhNkGZVJMy— UN News (@UN_News_Centre) August 20, 2024
Mpox Global Concern
Mpox, a viral infection that causes pus-filled lesions and flu-like symptoms, is usually mild but can kill. The clade 1b variety of mpox has triggered global concern because it seems to spread more easily though routine close contact. A case of the variant was confirmed last week in Sweden and linked to a growing outbreak in Africa.
WHO Director-General @DrTedros has issued temporary recommendations to countries experiencing an upsurge of #mpox.They cover:Emergency coordinationCollaborative surveillance and laboratory diagnosticsSafe and scalable clinical careRisk communication… pic.twitter.com/fTPGExEFGo
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) August 19, 2024
Kluge said that the focus on the new clade 1 strain gives Europe a chance to refocus on the less severe clade 2 variety, including better public health advice and surveillance. About 100 new cases of the clade 2 mpox strain are now being reported in the European region every month, added Kluge.
This briefing comes days after the WHO declared mpox outbreaks in Africa a global emergency. On Monday, Congo’s Health Minister Roger Kamba said the country will receive the first vaccine doses to address its mpox outbreak next week from the US. Mpox cases have been confirmed among children and adults in more than a dozen African countries, and a new form of the virus is spreading. However, few vaccine doses are available on the continent.
Congo has the vast majority of the mpox cases and currently needs 3 million vaccine doses. The United Staes and Japan have offered to donate vaccines, Kamba told journalists. He did not say how many doses would be sent or when the ones from Japan would arrive.
The WHO has reported over 17,000 mpox cases and over 500 deaths worldwide this year. More than 96% of all cases and deaths have been in Congo, whose health system has long struggled to contain disease outbreaks over the country’s vast area and poor infrastructure. Children under 15 account for more than 70% of the cases and 85% of deaths in Congo.
(With agency inputs)
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