“An effective international response to the mpox epidemic must be in place”

2024-08-15 06:00:09

IImagine that a lightning-like disease has spread throughout France and, in addition to thousands of cases, hundreds of people have died, most of them children. Now imagine that cases start to appear in Germany, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Wouldn’t this be a major global health emergency?

This is exactly what happened in East Africa this year. In recent weeks, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda have announced the appearance of an aggressive strain of mpox (monkeypox, formerly “monkeypox”) – clade 1b – which has spread this year throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and has also affected children.

In this context, on Wednesday August 14, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus – who convened a group of experts in Geneva (Switzerland) – declared mpox “public health emergency of the global community.

Read also This article is reserved for our subscribers Why has the WHO classified the mpox epidemic in Africa as a “public health emergency of international concern”

Add to your selections

Furthermore, The African Union has pledged more than $10 million (over 9 million euros) to the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Africa CDCto fight against the epidemic. The CDC announced this week that it considers mpox to be a global public health emergency.

In March, WA – the world’s leading research agency – has warned that unless governments and partners work closely with communities on prevention and control, and the delivery of essential health tools – including tests, treatments and vaccines – to the primary of the mpox epidemic in the DRC, then it will almost reverse effects. on neighboring countries, and perhaps even further.

Lessons from Covid-19

The result is already there. But as WHO gathers experts, priorities must include working with communities to end stigma and raise awareness about prevention and treatment of the virus, as well as lessons learned from Covid-19, to ensure that health tools are used in accurate.

Read also Monkey pox: a new, more dangerous strain appearing in DRC worries WHO and researchers

Add to your selections

Since 2022, the global epidemic of mpox, of the clade 2 strain, has spread to more from 100 countries and caused more than 90,000 cases and 140 deaths. The virus has affected the gay community and the male sex, and has been contained thanks to the rotation of testing, treatment and vaccinations, and intensive work with community groups.