By Deborah Nnamdi
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday that mpox no longer qualifies as a global public health emergency, following a significant drop in cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other affected countries.
The emergency status had been in place since August 2024, when a new wave of the virus—driven by two strains—sparked an outbreak primarily in the DRC. On Thursday, the WHO’s emergency committee met for its regular quarterly review and advised lifting the declaration, a recommendation accepted by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
“This decision is based on sustained declines in cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in other affected countries, including Burundi, Sierra Leone, and Uganda,” Tedros said at a press conference.
However, he cautioned that the end of the global emergency does not mean the threat has disappeared.
“Lifting the emergency declaration does not mean the threat is over, nor that our response will stop,” Tedros emphasized, adding that mpox remains a public health concern within Africa.
Mpox is a viral disease related to smallpox. While it can spread from animals to humans, it is also transmitted through close physical contact between people. Symptoms include fever, muscle aches, and painful, boil-like skin lesions. In some cases, the disease can be fatal.
The virus was first identified in humans in 1970 in what was then Zaire, now the DRC. There are two known subtypes: clade 1 and clade 2.
While mpox has long been endemic in parts of Central Africa, it drew international attention in May 2022 when clade 2 began spreading globally, particularly among gay and bisexual men. This led to the WHO declaring a global health emergency in July 2022. That outbreak was brought under control thanks to vaccination campaigns and public awareness efforts, and the emergency status was lifted in May 2023.
But in 2024, a resurgence involving both the original clade 1a and a newly emerged clade 1b prompted the WHO to declare a new international health emergency.
With cases now declining steadily, global health authorities are shifting their focus to long-term surveillance and response strategies, particularly in regions where the virus remains a persistent threat.
— AFP
