WHO declares mpox outbreaks in Africa global health emergency as new form of virus spreads

Manila Bulletin

The World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreaks in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global emergency on Wednesday, with cases confirmed among children and adults in more than a dozen countries and a new form of the virus spreading. Few vaccine doses are available on the continent.  While no new mpox cases have been reported in the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) remained on alert as Africa declared a public health emergency due to the mpox outbreaks. DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said the number of mpox cases in the Philippines has remained steady at nine as of Wednesday, Aug. 14.  READ MORE: https://mb.com.ph/search-results?s=mpox  RELATED ARTICLE: https://mb.com.ph/2024/8/14/doh-on-alert-following-mpox-emergency-declaration-in-africa  Subscribe to the Manila Bulletin Online channel! - https://www.youtube.com/TheManilaBulletin  Visit our website at http://mb.com.ph Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/manilabulletin  Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/manila_bulletin Instagram: https://instagram.com/manilabulletin Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@manilabulletin  #ManilaBulletinOnline #ManilaBulletin #LatestNews

Transcript

00:00Last week, I announced that I was convening an emergency committee under the international

00:07health regulations to evaluate the upsurge of MPOCs in the Democratic Republic of the

00:13Congo and other countries in Africa.

00:18Today, the emergency committee met and advised me that, in its view, the situation constitutes

00:26a public emergency of international concern.

00:30I have accepted that advice.

00:33The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of MPOCs in eastern DRC, its detection in

00:40neighboring countries that had not previously reported MPOCs, and the potential for further

00:46spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying.

00:51In addition to other outbreaks of other clades of MPOCs in other parts of Africa, it is clear

00:58that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save

01:04lives.

01:05A public emergency of international concern is the highest level of alarm under international

01:11health law.

01:13The emergency committee advised me and that of the African CDC Centers for Disease Control

01:20and Prevention, which yesterday declared a public emergency of regional security, are

01:27aligned.

01:28WHO is on the ground, working with the affected countries and others at risk through our country

01:35and regional offices, as well as with partners including the African CDC, NGOs, civil society

01:43and more.

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