Istanbul, 26 August 2024 (TDI): The new Mpox virus can be stopped and brought under control, according to a statement released on Friday by the secretary general of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a conference of WHO officials that “this new mpox epidemic can be treated and controlled.”
In order to do this, international organizations must work in coordination with local and national partners, civil society, manufacturers, researchers, and you, our member states,” he continued.
He said that since the global outbreak started in 2022, more than 100,000 confirmed cases of Mpox had been reported to the WHO. He also mentioned an extraordinary rise in infections in Africa.
90% of cases reported in 2024 are expected to occur in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is now the hub of transmission. This year alone, there have been more than 16,000 suspected cases, with 575 deaths, he added.
Tedros described how the virus came to be considered a global public health emergency. He said that cases of the virus’s Clade 1b strain were discovered in Thailand and Sweden last month, in addition to cases that had not previously been reported from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda—all of which are neighbors of Congo.
Also read: Mpox Not New Covid, Can Be Stopped: Expert
Observing that a Global Pox Virus Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan has been prepared by the WHO and its partners to halt the spread through coordinated national, regional, and international actions.
He said, “Its main objectives are to reduce the spread of zoonotic diseases, enable communities to take an active role in outbreak prevention and control, advance research and fair access to medical countermeasures, and implement comprehensive surveillance and response techniques.”
He said that the WHO has been collaborating with a wide range of international, regional, national, and local partners to strengthen coordination in critical areas of response and improve preparedness against the virus.
He added that the WHO Regional Office for Africa will lead the coordination of Mpox response efforts in the African region in conjunction with the Africa CDC, which is based in Ethiopia, where the greatest need is.
