WHO chief mulls calling emergency committee on mpox

 The World Health Organisation (WHO) ‘s chief said on Sunday that he is considering convening an expert committee to advise on whether the growing mpox outbreak in Africa should be declared an international emergency.

“As a deadlier strain of mpox spreads to multiple African countries, WHO and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, local governments and partners are further scaling up the response to interrupt disease transmission. But more funding and support for a comprehensive response are needed,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on the social media platform X.

He added, “I am considering convening an International Health Regulations emergency committee to advise me on whether the outbreak of mpox should be declared a public health emergency of international concern.”

Since last September, cases have surged in the Democratic Republic of Congo due to a strain of the virus, which has recently been detected in nearby African countries.

A Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) is the highest alarm the WHO can sound. Tedros, as WHO Director-General, can declare such an emergency on the advice of a committee of experts in the field.