WHO sounds alarm as mpox cases surge in Africa

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus convened an “emergency” meeting of international experts on Wednesday.

As the most dangerous variant of the virus surges across African nations, concerns are mounting over its highly infectious nature, which facilitates rapid transmission among individuals.

During a press briefing in Geneva, Tedros emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that an expert committee will evaluate whether the outbreak warrants designation as a global emergency.

In a demonstration of commitment to addressing the crisis, the WHO has allocated $1 million from its emergency fund to support containment efforts.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) revealed last week that Mpox, commonly known as monkeypox, has now been reported in 10 African countries this year, with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accounting for a staggering 96% of all cases and fatalities.

Alarmingly, nearly 70% of the cases in Congo are among children aged 15 and younger, who constitute 85% of the deaths attributed to the outbreak.

Newly reported cases in Burundi and Rwanda, along with additional infections in Kenya and the Central African Republic, underscore the expanding reach of this virus.

Scientists had previously identified a particularly lethal variant in a mining town in Congo, raising fears that it could have a fatality rate of up to 10% among those infected and may spread more easily.

Mpox is primarily transmitted through close contact with infected individuals, including during sexual encounters.

While the WHO classified Mpox as a global emergency in 2022 due to its spread to over 70 countries—affecting predominantly gay and bisexual men—the situation in Africa remains dire. Despite the successful control of Mpox in Western nations through vaccines and treatments, these resources are still scarce in Africa.