Yesterday we noted that CDC Africa had declared mpox as a 'public health emergency' on 13 August. We can now report that WHO yesterday declared mpox a 'public health emergency of international concern'.
Extract below and a comment from me.
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WHO Director-General declares mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern
14 August 2024
https://www.who.int/news/item/14-08-2024-who-director-general-declares-m...
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the mpox outbreak in parts of Africa a public health emergency of international concern.
The highly contagious disease - formerly known as monkeypox - has killed at least 450 people during an initial outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It has now spread across parts of central and east Africa, and scientists are concerned about how fast a new variant of the disease is spreading and its high fatality rate.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond "is very worrying".
"A co-ordinated international response is essential to stop this outbreak and save lives," he said.
Mpox is transmitted through close contact, such as sex, skin-to-skin contact and talking or breathing close to another person.
It causes flu-like symptoms, skin lesions and can be fatal, with four in 100 cases leading to death.
Outbreaks can be controlled by preventing infections with vaccines, though these are usually only available for people at risk or those who have been in close contact with an infected person...
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COMMENT (NPW): It's not clear whether and how the WHO and CDC Africa statements are linked. A news item from the BBC implies that the statements are distinct [ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg35w27gzno ]
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
