The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared mpox, a viral infection, a global public health emergency. This is the second such declaration in two years due to a new outbreak spreading across Africa.
What Happened: The WHO made the declaration following an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has since spread to neighboring countries. The WHO's emergency committee convened earlier in the day to advise Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on the situation, reported Reuters.
The outbreak in Congo began with the spread of an endemic strain, known as clade I. However, a new variant, clade Ib, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, including sexual contact. This variant has now spread to neighboring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
"The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of mpox in eastern DRC, its detection in neighboring countries that had not previously reported mpox, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying," said Tedros.
The WHO has released $1.5 million in contingency funds and plans to release more in the coming days. The agency's response plan would require an initial $15 million, and it plans to appeal to donors for funding.
Earlier this week, Africa's top public health body declared an mpox emergency for the continent after warning that the viral infection was spreading at an alarming rate, with more than 17,000 suspected cases and over 500 deaths this year, mainly among children in Congo.
Why It Matters: Mpox, first discovered in the late 1950s, disappeared for decades with the eradication of smallpox in 1980 but reemerged in Nigeria in 2017. Since then, Nigeria has reported at least 450 cases, with at least eight cases reported internationally.
Just two years ago, the WHO declared a monkeypox outbreak a global emergency, with more than 16,000 cases reported in over 75 countries. The number of confirmed monkeypox infections rose 77% from late June through early July.
Amid these outbreaks, vaccine stocks have been in focus, as highlighted in a Benzinga report from June. A surge in vaccine stocks followed the death of a man from a never-before-seen bird flu strain.
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This story was generated using Benzinga Neuro and edited by Shivdeep Dhaliwal
