WHO calls emergency meeting over surge in mpox cases spreading from Congo

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called an emergency meeting to discuss the surge in Monkey Pox (mpox) cases spreading from Congo.

Sharing a post on X, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that a committee of independent experts will meet as soon as possible to look into the issue.

"In light of the spread of #mpox outside #DRC, and the potential for further international spread within and outside Africa, I have decided to convene an Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations to advise me on whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern," the WHO chief stated.

The cases of mpox have surged in the Central African nation since last September. A strain of the virus has now been detected in its neighbouring countries.

"The committee will meet as soon as possible and will be made up of independent experts from a range of relevant disciplines from around the world," Tedros posted on X.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement amid an outbreak that has seen nearly 27,000 cases in the DRC and claimed about 1,100 lives, many of them children, according to Al Jazeera.

The mpox has been detected in 10 African nations this year, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said last week.

Citing the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Al Jazeera reported that over 96 per cent of the cases are located in DRC.

The agency further stated that the cases are up 160 per cent this year, with deaths surging by 19 per cent. The disease also appears especially prevalent among the young, with 70 per cent of cases and 85 per cent of deaths in the DRC occurring among children under the age of 15, reported Al Jazeera.

The WHO declared mpox, also known as monkeypox, a global emergency in 2022 after it spread to more than 70 countries.