WHO official declarations

WHO and Africa CDC Declare Mpox Emergency with Measures Until August 2025

Aug 19, 2024, 04:14 PM

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an upsurge in mpox cases as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This decision follows a meeting of the Emergency Committee on August 14, 2024, which reviewed the worsening outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Africa, attributed to clade Ia and Ib. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has issued temporary recommendations for countries experiencing the outbreak, focusing on emergency coordination, collaborative surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, safe clinical care, and risk communication. The recommendations aim to strengthen the response to the outbreak and are accompanied by extended standing recommendations for mpox until August 20, 2025. The Africa CDC has also declared the outbreak a continental emergency to promote a stronger response.