The World Health Organization’s (WHO) emergency committee is set to convene on Wednesday to discuss the escalating mpox outbreak affecting several African nations. The meeting aims to determine whether the situation warrants declaring a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the highest level of alert issued by the WHO.
In a statement to the press, the WHO announced that the closed virtual meeting will commence at 10 a.m. GMT on Wednesday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to emphasize the significance of the gathering. “The committee will provide me with its views on whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern,” he wrote. He added that, should the declaration be made, the committee will advise on strategies “how to better prevent and reduce the spread of the disease.”
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is an infectious viral disease transmitted from animals to humans and can also spread through close physical contact between people. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and distinctive large boil-like skin lesions, which can be both painful and disfiguring.
The current outbreak has hit the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) hardest, with the African Union’s health agency reporting 14,479 confirmed and suspected cases and 455 deaths as of August 3. The alarming numbers have raised concerns among global health officials about the potential for wider spread if decisive actions are not taken promptly.
The upcoming WHO meeting underscores the urgent need for international collaboration to address the mpox outbreak. A PHEIC declaration would mobilize global resources and focus attention on containment measures, vaccine distribution, and public awareness campaigns.
For entrepreneurs, investors, and market analysts, the outbreak poses potential risks to economic stability in the affected regions. Scholars and researchers are closely monitoring the situation, emphasizing the importance of understanding the disease’s transmission dynamics to inform public health interventions.
As the world continues to grapple with emerging health threats, the mpox outbreak serves as a reminder of the interconnectedness of global communities and the essential role of coordinated responses in safeguarding public health.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
