The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently deliberating on whether mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, should be declared a global health emergency due to its rapid spread and severe impact, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Mpox first appeared in humans in 1970 in the DRC, where the virus has recently resurfaced with alarming intensity. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus revealed that more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths have been reported in the DRC this year alone, surpassing last year’s figures.
Tedros highlighted the spread of clade 1b, a particularly virulent strain of mpox, which has been rapidly spreading through sexual networks in the DRC and has also been detected in neighboring countries like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. This spread, alongside differing outbreaks of various clades across different countries, has raised significant concern and prompted the WHO to convene an emergency committee.
The committee will determine if the current mpox outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the highest level of alarm the WHO can issue. If declared, it would be the second consecutive PHEIC for mpox, focusing on a more deadly strain of the virus than previous outbreaks.
In 2022, a global mpox outbreak, primarily affecting gay and bisexual men, was triggered by the Clade 2b subclade. This outbreak, which led to around 140 deaths out of 90,000 cases, was declared a PHEIC by the WHO and lasted from July 2022 to May 2023. The current outbreak in the DRC, driven by the clade 1b subclade, has a higher fatality rate and is causing more severe disease.
Mpox is an infectious disease transmitted to humans by infected animals or through close physical contact between humans. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and large boil-like skin lesions.
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