WHO will have an emergency committee meeting to evaluate the spread of mpox.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for an emergency meeting regarding an outbreak of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, which has spread outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has convened an Emergency Committee to provide advice on whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.

Tedros mentioned that in the past month, approximately 50 confirmed and several suspected cases have been reported in four countries neighboring the DRC that had not been reported before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Mpox is a viral disease endemic in Central and West Africa, and it can be transmitted through physical contact with an infected person, animal, or contaminated materials. The symptoms include skin rash or lesions, accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.

WHO is collaborating with the governments of the affected countries, the Africa Centre for Disease Control, non-governmental organizations, civil society, and other partners to comprehend and address the root causes of these outbreaks.