WHO Unveils $135 Million Strategy to Combat Global Mpox Threat

Wednesday 28 August 2024 - 12:10

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched an ambitious six-month plan aimed at halting the spread of mpox, a growing global health concern. The $135 million Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, unveiled in Doha, spans from September 2024 to February 2025 and represents a comprehensive approach to controlling and potentially eradicating the disease.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern in August, emphasized the controllable nature of the outbreaks. "The mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries can be controlled, and can be stopped," Tedros stated, underscoring the need for a coordinated global response.

The plan's key elements include enhancing surveillance, prevention, and response strategies. It aims to advance research and ensure equitable access to diagnostic tests and vaccines while minimizing animal-to-human transmission. A crucial aspect of the strategy involves empowering communities to actively participate in outbreak control efforts.

Strategic vaccination will prioritize high-risk individuals, including recent close contacts of cases and healthcare workers, to interrupt transmission chains. On a global scale, the plan focuses on providing timely, evidence-based guidance and access to medical countermeasures for the most vulnerable groups in affected countries.

WHO is collaborating with a wide range of partners to strengthen coordination across preparedness and response activities. The organization has established incident management teams at its headquarters and regional offices and is increasing staff in affected countries.

In Africa, where the impact has been most severe, the WHO Regional Office for Africa and Africa CDC will jointly lead the coordination of mpox response efforts under a unified approach. Recent reports from the Africa Centres for Disease Control indicate over 21,300 suspected or confirmed cases and 590 deaths across 12 African countries this year, with Congo facing the brunt of the outbreak.

Several European countries, including Germany, France, and Austria, have pledged to donate mpox vaccines to support the African response. While the current outbreak involves the more virulent Clade 1 mpox strain, WHO officials stress that the situation is not comparable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hans Kluge, WHO's regional director for Europe, stated, "Mpox is not the new COVID. We know how to control mpox."

Mpox, which belongs to the same viral family as smallpox, typically causes milder symptoms such as fever, chills, and body aches. It primarily spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, with more severe cases potentially developing lesions on various parts of the body.

As the global health community rallies to implement this comprehensive strategy, the hope is that coordinated efforts will effectively control and ultimately eradicate mpox, demonstrating the power of international collaboration in addressing emerging health threats.