By Jennifer Rigby
What is a global health emergency?
A "public health emergency of international concern" or PHEIC is WHO's highest form of alert. It is announced when diseases are spreading in new or unusual ways, and is aimed at galvanising international co-operation and funding to tackle an outbreak. WHO's declaration follows a similar label from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week.
Why is Mpox an emergency again?
Two years ago, WHO declared Mpox was an emergency when a form of the disease began to spread globally, largely among men who have sex with men. That outbreak was brought under control after behaviour change and safe sex practices, plus vaccines, helped people at risk protect themselves in many countries.
But Mpox has been a public health problem in parts of Africa for decades. The first ever human case was in Congo in 1970, and it has had outbreaks ever since.
The current outbreak, Congo's worst ever, has seen 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths since January 2023, largely among children. The disease causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, and is usually mild but can kill.
What happens now?
Scientists hope that the emergency declarations will speed up efforts to get more medical tools and funding to Congo to help the authorities there tackle the outbreak. Better surveillance is needed to study the virus and help stop the spread.
How worried should I be?
Mpox is a significant health problem that is killing some of the most vulnerable people in the world, including children, and a form of it is possibly spreading in new ways and in new parts of Africa.
But it is not COVID-19. So far, there is no evidence that it spreads through the air easily like COVID, and there are tools that are proven to work to stop the spread and help those at risk.
Analysis:
The WHO has declared the Mpox outbreak in Congo as a global health emergency, highlighting the need for international cooperation and funding to tackle the disease. The current outbreak has seen a significant number of cases and deaths, particularly among children. Efforts are being made to provide medical tools and funding to Congo to help stop the spread of the virus. While Mpox is a serious health problem, it is not as easily transmissible as COVID-19 and there are proven tools to prevent its spread. The challenge now is ensuring that these tools reach those who need them most in Congo and neighbouring countries.