The head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared the monkeypox epidemic a public health emergency of international concern.
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The WHO Emergency Committee met on Wednesday regarding the disease situation in Africa. The day before, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared a health emergency due to the monkeypox outbreak.
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“Today the Emergency Situations Committee met and advised me that in its opinion this is a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice,” Ghebreyesus said.
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He added that in 2023, the number of registered cases of monkeypox increased significantly, and already in 2024 it exceeded last year’s figure – more than 14 thousand have already been registered and 524 deaths.
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“The discovery and rapid spread of a new variant of monkeypox in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, its detection in neighboring countries that had not previously reported cases of monkeypox, and the potential for further spread in Africa and beyond are of great concern. In addition to others outbreaks of other smallpox variants in other parts of Africa, it is clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” the WHO chief added.
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He said WHO had developed a regional response plan requiring an initial $15 million. The organization has committed $1.45 million from its emergency fund and is asking donors to fund the remainder.
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A public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) is an official WHO declaration of an emergency event that is determined to pose a public health concern to other countries as a result of the international spread of disease and potentially requiring a coordinated international response. Under the International Health Regulations 2005, states are required by law to respond promptly to PHEIC.
