As preparations are in top gear In New York this week for three High-Level Meetings in September at the UN General Assembly, the World Health Organisation, WHO, on Thursday declared that Monkeypox, mpox, is no longer a global health emergency.
WHO also disclosed that over 87,000 cases and 140 deaths from Monkey Pox, Mpox have been reported to the body from 111 countries.
The Director General of WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who disclosed these in his opening remarks at a media briefing yesterday said the declaration was after the emergency committee for mpox met and recommended that the multi-country outbreak of mpox no longer represents a public health emergency of international concern.
Ghebreyesus recalled that last July, mpox was declared a public health emergency of international concern over the multi-country outbreak of the disease as the virus spread rapidly across the world.
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“In total, more than 87 thousand cases and 140 deaths have been reported to WHO, from 111 countries. “WHO has been very encouraged by the rapid response of countries. We now see steady progress in controlling the outbreak based on the lessons of HIV and working closely with the most affected communities.
“Almost 90 per cent fewer cases were reported in the past three months, compared with the previous three months. In particular, the work of community organisations, together with public health authorities, has been critical for informing people of the risks of mpox, encouraging and supporting behaviour change, and advocating for access to tests, vaccines and treatments to be accessible to those most in need.”
He said pharmaceutical companies and regulatory agencies have also played an important role in helping to expand access to these countermeasures.
He regretted that while stigma has been a driving concern in managing the epidemic and continues to hamper access to care for mpox, the feared backlash against the most affected communities has largely not materialised.
The WHO Director-General further added that “as with COVID-19, that does not mean that the work is over. Mpox continues to pose significant public health challenges that need a robust, proactive and sustainable response.
“While we welcome the downward trend of mpox cases globally, the virus continues to affect communities in all regions, including in Africa, where transmission is still not well understood. There is a particular risk for people living with untreated HIV infection.
“It remains important for countries to maintain their testing capacities and to continue their efforts, assess their risk, quantify their needs to respond and act promptly when needed.
Integration of mpox prevention and care into existing health programmes is recommended, to allow continued access to care, and rapid response to address future outbreaks.”
He promised that WHO will continue to work towards supporting access to countermeasures as more information on the effectiveness of interventions becomes available.
Ghebreyesus also called on governments to make concrete commitments to invest in expanding access to prevention, testing, treatment, vaccines and research for Tuberculosis, TB, as well as strengthen the world’s defences against pandemics.
Speaking, the Vice-Chair of the Emergency Committee, Professor Nicola Low, said while the emergencies of mpox and COVID-19 are both over, the threat of resurgent waves remains for both.
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“Both viruses continue to circulate, and both continue to kill. And while two public health emergencies have ended in the past week, every day WHO continues to respond to more than 50 emergencies globally.
“Every day, we continue to support countries to address major health threats like tuberculosis; and every day we continue to support countries to make progress towards universal health coverage.”
The three High-Level Meetings billed to hold in September are on pandemic preparedness and response, tuberculosis and universal health coverage.
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