The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a six-month Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to combat the mpox (monkeypox) outbreak, with a particular focus on African countries. The plan, set to run from September 2024 to February 2025, requires $135 million in funding and aims to enhance surveillance, prevention, and response strategies.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, ‘The mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries can be controlled, and can be stopped’. The plan includes increasing staffing in affected areas, improving access to vaccines, and targeting high-risk groups such as close contacts of cases and healthcare workers for vaccination to break transmission chains.As of August 2024, over 21,300 suspected or confirmed cases and 590 deaths have been reported in 12 African countries. The Democratic Republic of Congo has been particularly affected, with over 16,000 suspected cases and 575 deaths reported this year alone. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a fatality rate of 2.9%.In response to the outbreak, Germany has pledged to donate 100,000 doses of the mpox vaccine from its military reserves to affected countries. The WHO plan also aims to minimize animal-to-human transmission and empower communities to participate in prevention and control efforts.This strategic response comes after the WHO declared mpox a global health emergency on August 14, 2024, due to the rapid spread of the clade 1b variant. The plan emphasizes equitable access to diagnostics and vaccines, and calls for a coordinated international response as cases spread from Africa to Europe and Asia.
Key points
- WHO launches six-month, $135 million plan to combat mpox outbreak, focusing on African countries.
- Over 21,300 suspected or confirmed cases and 590 deaths reported in 12 African countries as of August 2024.
- Plan includes increasing staffing, improving vaccine access, and targeting high-risk groups for vaccination.
- Germany pledges to donate 100,000 doses of mpox vaccine to affected countries.
