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Aug. 14 (UPI) -- The World Health Organization Wednesday declared mpox a global public health emergency. It's the second time in two years mpox has been deemed a worldwide emergency by the WHO. The action was recommended by an expert's committee after its meeting Wednesday.
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"Today, the emergency committee on mpox met and advised me that in its view, the situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern," WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X. "I have accepted that advice."
His statement added, "WHO is committed in the days and weeks ahead to coordinate the global response, working closely with each of the affected countries, and leveraging our on-the-ground presence, to prevent transmission, treat those infected, and save lives."
After the 2022 global emergency declaration, mpox infected nearly 100,000 people, killing roughly 200 people.
This declaration is intended to get WHO member nations working on preparation for the virus, as well as to begin sharing vaccines, treatments and other key resources with affected countries.
It's the WHO's highest level of alert and and will ramp up funding, research and international public health cooperation against mpox.
In live streamed remarks after the committee meeting, Ghebreyesus said mpox has been known in the Democratic Republic of Congo for more than 10 years, but cases have recently spiked, with 524 deaths and more than 14,000 known cases.
"The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of mpox in the eastern DRC, its detection in neighboring countries that had not previously reported mpox and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying," he said.
Ghebreyesus said it's clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop the outbreaks and save lives.
He said the WHO is helping nations to analyze blood samples and confirm mpox cases, supporting laboratories to sequence viral samples and supporting case investigation and contact tracing on the ground.
The WHO, he said, is also training health care workers and supporting clinicians to provide appropriate care.
University of California epidemiologist Anne Rimoin, a member of the emergency committee advising the HWO, told the New York Times that given the rapid spread of mpox the global emergency declaration is justified.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health alert a week ago and recommended clinicians take several steps to be aware of the virus and prepare for dealing with it.
While it usually causes milder flu-like symptoms, in rare cases it can be fatal.
"In light of the expanding outbreak in east and central Africa, and the potential for further international spread within and outside Africa, I have convened this Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations to advise me on whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern," Ghebreyesus said in a statement prior to the committee's recommendation.
Ghebreyesus added mpox "appears to be spreading mainly through sexual networks, and its detection in countries neighboring the Democratic Republic of Congo is especially concerning, and one of the main reasons for my decision to convene this Emergency Committee."
He said his triggering of an Emergency Use Listing for mpox vaccines last week "will accelerate vaccine access for lower-income countries which have not yet issued their own national regulatory approval."
WHO is working with governments in affected countries in Africa and has developed a regional response plan, according to Ghebreyesus.
Ghebreyesus said stopping the mpox outbreaks will require "a tailored and comprehensive response."
The emergency committee meeting came after Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya declared Tuesday that mpox is a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security for Africa.
"This declaration is not merely a formality; it is a clarion call to action. It is a recognition that we can no longer afford to be reactive. We must be proactive and aggressive in our efforts to contain and eliminate this threat," Kaseya said.
He added that mpox is "a global threat, a menace that knows no boundaries, no race, no creed."
"It is a virus that exploits our vulnerabilities, preying on our weakest points. And it is in these moments of vulnerability that we must find our greatest strength and demonstrate that we all learned from COVID by applying solidarity," he said.
Vaccine makers are already allowed to apply to the WHO for emergency licenses to procure and distribute mpox vaccines.
The mpox virus is in at least 13 African countries and so far this year has caused 517 deaths with 17,541 confirmed and suspected human cases reported.
Kaseya is calling on global partners to assist Africa's CDC and said the disease requires a global response.
"The world cannot afford to turn a blind eye to this crisis. From May 2022 to July 2023, mpox was declared PHEIC, but Africa didn't get appropriate support and when cases stopped in other parts of the World, there was a silence on increase of cases in Africa," he said. " We call upon our international partners to take this mpox opportunity to act differently and work closely with Africa CDC to provide appropriate support to our Member States."
According to the U.S. CDC, mpox often causes a rash on hands, feet, chest, face, mouth or near the genitals. Other symptoms include a fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle aches, headache and respiratory symptoms.
During an incubation period of 3-17 days there are no symptoms, but they start within 21 days of exposure to the virus.
Africa's CDC considers mpox to be a crisis on the continent but is not just an African issue.
Kaseya is urging the world to "demonstrate that we all learned from COVID by applying solidarity" to globally combat mpox.
