Mpox threat rises as WHO declares global health emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the rapid spread of Mpox in African countries a global health emergency, underscoring the severity of the outbreak and its potential consequences.

This marks the second time in three years that the WHO has issued such a declaration for Mpox, a viral disease formerly known as monkeypox.

In 2022, an Mpox outbreak primarily affected nearly 100,000 people across 116 countries, leading to about 200 deaths. Between January 2022 and June 2024, Nigeria confirmed 895 cases and nine deaths. Figures for the latest outbreak were not immediately clear.

The new outbreak is proving to be even more deadly, with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) reporting 15,600 cases and 537 deaths since the beginning of 2024. Women and children under 15 are particularly at risk.

In declaring the emergency on Wednesday, WHO’s Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus, said, “The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying. On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”

WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti said, “Significant efforts are already underway in close collaboration with communities and governments, with our country teams working on the frontlines to help reinforce measures to curb mpox. With the growing spread of the virus, we’re scaling up further through coordinated international action to support countries bring the outbreaks to an end.”

Dimie Ogoina, a Nigerian scientist and chair of the WHO’s mpox emergency committee, said, “The current upsurge of mpox in parts of Africa, along with the spread of a new sexually transmissible strain of the monkeypox virus, is an emergency, not only for Africa, but for the entire globe. Mpox, originating in Africa, was neglected there, and later caused a global outbreak in 2022. It is time to act decisively to prevent history from repeating itself.”

Mpox Spreads

The outbreak has now spread across 13 African countries, including some that had never reported Mpox cases before.

Following the outbreak, the Nigerian government, through the Ministry of Health, announced a new requirement for people arriving in the country to complete health declaration forms effective August 11.

Nigeria, with its densely populated cities and limited healthcare infrastructure, is particularly vulnerable to the spread of Mpox. The WHO’s designation of Mpox as a “public health emergency of international concern” is intended to prompt member countries, including Nigeria, to prepare for the virus’s appearance and to facilitate the sharing of vaccines, treatments, and other critical resources with poorer nations.

The version of Mpox currently circulating in the DRC is particularly virulent, with a death rate of about 3%, compared to just 0.2% in the 2022 outbreak. Symptoms include fever, respiratory issues, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, and a rash that can appear on the hands, feet, chest, mouth, or genitals.

The disease, which once spread primarily through consumption of contaminated meat or close contact with infected animals and people, is now being transmitted sexually. Alarmingly, cases are nearly equally split between young men and women, indicating a shift in how the virus spreads.

Vaccine Shortages

Amid rising cases, Congo has approved two Mpox vaccines: LC16, a Japanese product, and Jynneos, a vaccine produced by Bavarian Nordic that was used in the 2022 outbreaks in the United States and Europe, according to the New York Times. However, Congo has yet to roll out a comprehensive immunization plan.

The WHO has invited vaccine manufacturers to apply for emergency use listing, a crucial step for international organizations like Gavi, a global vaccine alliance, to purchase and distribute vaccines in low-income countries, including Nigeria. However, the 15,000 doses of Jynneos donated by Bavarian Nordic are a mere fraction of the 10 million doses needed to control the outbreak, according to Africa CDC.