WHO Declares Mpox An International Health Emergency As Outbreak In Africa Grows

The Washington Post (8/14, A1, Nirappil, Chason) reports, “The World Health Organization on Wednesday again declared mpox an international health emergency in response to a growing outbreak in Africa.” The WHO’s “declaration comes after suspected and confirmed cases in Africa exceeded 15,000 this year, exceeding the toll in all of 2023.” Mpox cases “reached record highs in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where the virus has been endemic for decades and the vast majority of African cases are concentrated.” Meanwhile, “a new form of the virus, known as clade 1b, has spilled into eastern parts of the African nation and has been reported in other countries for the first time, including Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.” The New York Times (8/14, Mandavilli) reports WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of mpox in eastern D.R.C., its detection in neighboring countries that had not previously reported mpox, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying.” Reuters (8/14, Satija, Rigby) reports “an emergency committee met earlier on Wednesday to advise” Tedros “on whether the disease outbreak constitutes a ‘public health emergency of international concern,’ or PHEIC.” According to Reuters, “PHEIC status is WHO’s highest level of alert and aims to accelerate research, funding and international public health measures and cooperation to contain a disease.” Tedros said, “It’s clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives.” Also reporting are the AP (8/14, Cheng), NBC News (8/14, Bendix), and CNN (8/14, Davis).