By John Ikani
A panel of independent experts convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) will meet virtually on Wednesday to assess the mpox outbreak in Africa. The group will determine if the situation warrants a global public health emergency declaration.
WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, will rely on the committee’s advice to decide whether mpox constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The designation would trigger specific recommendations to curb the disease’s spread.
Vaccine manufacturers can now seek emergency licenses from the WHO, allowing agencies like UNICEF and Gavi to procure and distribute their shots. On August 9, the UN health agency confirmed this development.
Bavarian Nordic dispatched 15,000 vaccine doses to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in June. The DRC has reported the most mpox cases to date.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has appealed for international support, highlighting the continent’s critical need for vaccines. The region requires 10 million doses but currently has access to only 200,000. The agency will also decide this week whether to declare a continental emergency.
Mpox has been reported in at least 13 African nations this year. Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda have recorded their first cases in the past month. The outbreak has claimed 517 lives from a total of 17,541 confirmed and suspected cases in 2024.
A new, more lethal strain of the mpox virus has spread from the DRC to neighbouring countries, fueling growing concern about the outbreak in recent weeks.
