An independent committee will meet Wednesday to advise the World Health Organization on whether mpox should be declared a global health emergency. File Photo by Fabrice Coffrini/EPA-EFE
Aug. 14 (UPI) — An independent advisory committee will meet Wednesday to advise the World Health Organization on whether to declare the African mpox outbreak a global health emergency.
The independent committee of experts holding a virtual meeting Wednesday will advise WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on whether mpox is a public health emergency of international concern and the recommendations WHO should make to manage the disease globally.
The meeting comes after Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya declared Tuesday that mpox is a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security for Africa.
“This declaration is not merely a formality; it is a clarion call to action. It is a recognition that we can no longer afford to be reactive. We must be proactive and aggressive in our efforts to contain and eliminate this threat,” Kaseya said.
He added that mpox is “a global threat, a menace that knows no boundaries, no race, no creed.”
“It is a virus that exploits our vulnerabilities, preying on our weakest points. And it is in these moments of vulnerability that we must find our greatest strength and demonstrate that we all learned from COVID by applying solidarity,” he said.
Vaccine makers are already allowed to apply to the WHO for emergency licenses to procure and distribute mpox vaccines.
The mpox virus is in at least 13 African countries and so far this year has caused 517 deaths with 17,541 confirmed and suspected human cases reported.
Kaseya is calling on global partners to assist Africa’s CDC and said the disease requires a global response.
“The world cannot afford to turn a blind eye to this crisis. From May 2022 to July 2023, mpox was declared PHEIC, but Africa didn’t get appropriate support and when cases stopped in other parts of the World, there was a silence on increase of cases in Africa,” he said. ” We call upon our international partners to take this mpox opportunity to act differently and work closely with Africa CDC to provide appropriate support to our Member States.”
According to the U.S. CDC, mpox often causes a rash on hands, feet, chest, face, mouth or near the genitals. Other symptoms include a fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle aches, headache and respiratory symptoms.
During an incubation period of 3-17 days there are no symptoms, but they start within 21 days of exposure to the virus.
Africa’s CDC considers mpox to be a crisis on the continent but is not just an African issue.
Kaseya is urging the world to “demonstrate that we all learned from COVID by applying solidarity” to globally combat mpox.