WHO declares mpox global health emergency

The World Health Organization declared the spread of mpox a global health emergency on Wednesday.

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, has spread rapidly and become a global emergency for the second time in three years, The New York Times reported.

This time, however, the newspaper said the outbreak is deadlier than previous times with more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths. In the 2022 outbreak, it was eventually spread to 70 countries but less than 1% of people died.

It has spread in children and adults in more than a dozen countries, The Associated Press reported. In the Democratic Republic of Congo 70% of cases are in children younger than 15.

“The worst case I’ve seen is that of a six-week-old baby who was just two weeks old when he contracted mpox,” Jacques Alonda, an epidemiologist working in Congo with international charities. The child had been in their care for a month.

“He got infected because hospital overcrowding meant he and his mother were forced to share a room with someone else who had the virus, which was undiagnosed,” Alonda said.

The WHO’s move came after the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared a public health emergency, and asked for help from around the globe to stop the spread.

Vaccines are in limited supply and may not reach Congo for months, Reuters reported. There are also issues with funding and other outbreaks that are why the declaration was needed.

Officials estimated that only about 65,000 vaccines may be available in the short term.

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