(Bloomberg) — The World Health Organization has declared a fast-spreading mpox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency as the agency seeks to contain the spread of the potentially deadly virus.
The spread of the new strain of mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo, “its detection in neighboring countries that had not previously reported, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing Wednesday.
Tedros last called mpox a public health emergency of international concern in May 2022, when cases of a milder strain erupted globally. When the WHO lowered its alert level a year later, cases in Africa continued to increase.
Now a mutated strain of mpox — a virus that causes unsightly, painful rashes and lesions — has spread to at least six African countries, infecting about 15,000 people and killing more than 500 in the DRC this year alone. The variant was first reported in the DRC less than 12 months ago.
A public health emergency of international concern applies to an extraordinary event that carries a risk via the spread of a disease across borders — one that potentially requires a coordinated response. It can be used to encourage nations to cooperate on countermeasures. The decision came after a panel was convened to evaluate the outbreak and the recommendation was unanimous.
The declaration drove up US-traded shares of mpox vaccine maker Bavarian Nordic A/S as much as 31%.
WHO officials and advisers are drafting guidance for affected countries, said Maria Van Kerkhove, the head of emerging diseases and zoonoses in the agency’s emergency program. The WHO is currently asking for $15 million in donations from member countries, and also collecting information to determine how much more it will need in donations to help stem the outbreak, she said.
Mpox is a less contagious cousin of smallpox with generally milder symptoms, although it still kills about 3% to 6% of patients in reported cases. It can cause blindness and disfigurement and poses high risks to children, pregnant people and people with weak immune systems, such as those infected with HIV.
(Updates with WHO comments from second paragraph.)
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