2024-08-05 16:18:00
Monkeypox may be considered an international emergency
Since last September, cases have increased in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to a virus strain that has recently been detected in neighboring African countries.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the UN health agency, the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, regional governments and partners are stepping up their response to the outbreak but it is investigating a public health emergency. of international concern. PHEIC) is the maximum alert that WHO can give.
Monkeypox is an infectious disease caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans by infected animals and can also be spread from person to person through physical contact. It was first discovered in humans in the 1970s in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The disease causes fever, muscle pain, and large skin lesions. There are two subtypes of the virus: clade I, more virulent and deadly, endemic to the Congo basin in central Africa; and clade II, endemic to West Africa.
In June 2022, infections increased worldwide, primarily affecting gay and bisexual men, due to the Clade IIb subclade. The outbreak led the WHO to announce a PHEIC, which lasts from July 2022 to May 2023. That outbreak has been greatly reduced. Since September 2023, a different strain of Monkeypox (mpox), Clade Ib subclade, has been emerging in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As of July 11, more than 11,000 cases and 445 deaths have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year, with children the most affected. In late July, Burundi reported three cases and Kenya recorded one case.
On Saturday 27 July 2024, Uganda announced that it had found its first two cases, with indications that the infections occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo region. The International Health Protocol is a framework that defines the rights and obligations of countries in managing public health events that can cross borders. The IHR is legally binding for 196 countries. Under the IHR, the WHO director can declare a PHEIC, triggering emergency responses in accordance with the guidelines.
Since 2009, a PHEIC has been declared only seven times: for swine flu H1N1, poliovirus, Ebola, Zika virus, Ebola again, COVID-19 and MPOX.
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