The World Health Organization (WHO) has created a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) due to a new outbreak of the pox virus disease in Africa, and the highest level of alert.
On Wednesday, the WHO said cases of mpox had been reported in 13 African countries and a new outbreak was spreading. This is the second time in two years that the organization has issued a disease warning. It comes after a viral outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has spread to neighboring countries.
The PHEIC declaration could accelerate research, funding, international public health cooperation, and cooperation to prevent disease. It triggered an emergency response in countries around the world under legally binding international health law.
Mapox can spread between individuals through close contact. While usually mild, it can be fatal in rare cases. It causes fever-like symptoms and pus-filled sores on the body. The DRC epidemic began with a clade I strain, but a new clade Ib strain appears to be spreading rapidly. To date, cases have been reported in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
Earlier this week, Africa’s largest public health agency declared a mpox emergency for the continent, warning that the virus was spreading at an alarming rate.
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More than 17,000 cases of mpox and 517 deaths have been reported on the African continent so far this year, an increase of 160 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to the African Center for Disease Control Does and Prevent show it.
In the midst of the most recent outbreak, the Red Cross said preparedness measures were being stepped up across Africa, particularly in eastern DRC.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Federation offered a “further” tone
