The World Health Organization is concerned about the impact of this year’s epidemic on global health.
On Wednesday, August 14, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) health crisis committee will meet to decide whether to declare the highest alert level for mpox (formerly monkeypox), which is spreading aggressively in Africa.
This decision a few days later Dr. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has publicly expressed his concern about the situation.
The information provided to journalists states that this is the first meeting of the Committee for Combating Emergency Situations this year. Its meeting will start at 10:00 GMT (13:00 GMT or 13:00 Greek time).”
Committee meetings are held behind closed doors. Its decisions are communicated to the Director General of WHO. He then explains what actions will be taken and what will be done.
«The committee will provide me with its views on whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. If so, will he advise me of interim recommendations to better limit the spread of the disease?“, Dr X (formerly Twitter) wrote. Gebreyesus.
I am calling for an Extraordinary Committee on Ascension #mpox Wednesday, August 14, 2024.
The committee will inform me of its views on whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern – and, if so, advise me on an interim basis…
– Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) August 10, 2024
A health emergency of international concern is the highest level of alert the WHO can declare.
In 10 African countries
mpox is of renewed concern to the international medical community as it spreads to countries where it is not endemic in Africa. In addition, a new, highly virulent strain called clade 1b is emerging.
This year’s epidemic is in the spotlight mpox is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. During the first seven months of 2024 (until August 3), the country recorded 14,479 confirmed cases of infection. 455 of the patients (or 3%) died. The death toll is particularly high compared to the previous global outbreak of the disease in 2022-2023.
A total of mpox cases have been reported in ten African countries this year.