Mpox (monkeypox), WHO has declared a state of international health emergency

The World Health Organization has been focusing on Mpox (monkeypox) for two years. and today – as already done in July 2022 – has declared a state of international health emergency (PHEIC) following the increase in cases of mpox (monkeypox) in Africa. The announcement was made by the Director General of the WHOby Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “The emergency committee met today and informed me that the situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted this advice.”

“A coordinated international response is essential to stop these epidemics and save lives,” Ghebreyesus said in a press conference announcing the declaration of an international emergency for monkeypox. “The detection and rapid spread of a new clade [ceppo, n.d.r..] of mpox in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, its detection in neighboring countries that had not previously reported the disease, and the risks of further spread in Africa and beyond are very worrying“, Tedros said. To this, he added, are added “other outbreaks of other smallpox clades in other parts of Africa. A coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives”.

Monkeypox is a sylvatic zoonosis – that is, a disease affecting wild animals – with accidental human infections, usually occurring in forested parts of central and western Africa. The disease is often self-limiting, with symptoms usually resolving spontaneously within 14 to 21 days, is not highly contagious among humans, and is spread through exposure to exhaled droplets and contact with infected skin lesions or contaminated materials. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain and skin rashes: they can be mild or severe and the lesions can be very itchy or painful. There is a vaccine and in recent years campaigns have also been launched in Europe, including Italy.

“The monkeypox epidemic is a health emergency in Africa: 10 million vaccines are needed to control it,” wrote the High Representative for Foreign Policy Josep Borrell on X, according to whom “they are Urgent global action and solidarity: At the forefront of this effort is the European Commission’s European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, which has worked with partners to secure 215,000 doses of vaccine to donate to the African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.”