WHO launches strategic response plan to contain mpox outbreak

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) — The World Health Organization (WHO) launched a global strategic preparedness and response plan on Monday to stop outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of mpox through coordinated global, regional and national efforts.

The move came after the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern by WHO Secretary-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Aug. 14, the UN agency said in a statement.

The $135 million plan covers the six-month period until February 2025 to provide funding needed for the response by WHO, member states, partners including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), communities, and researchers, among others.

"Strategic vaccination efforts will focus on individuals at the highest risk, including close contacts of recent cases and healthcare workers, to interrupt transmission chains," said the statement.

It noted that at the global level, the emphasis would be on strategic leadership, timely evidence-based guidance, and access to medical countermeasures for the most at-risk groups in affected countries.

"The mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries can be controlled, and can be stopped," said Tedros.

Meanwhile, WHO headquarters and regional offices have established incident management support teams to lead preparedness, readiness and response activities, and are significantly scaling up staff in affected countries.

The variant of mpox that prompted the health emergency declaration is believed to be both more contagious and deadlier than previous variants, including the clade 2 strain which was responsible for the global outbreak that began in 2022.

Tedros had previously said that more than 100,000mpox cases have been confirmed to the WHO since the global outbreak began in 2022, noting an unprecedented increase in cases in Africa.

Formerly known as monkeypox, mpox is a viral disease that can spread through close contact and contaminated materials like sheets, clothing and needles, according to WHO.