The World Health Organization (WHO) is set to convene its Emergency Committee next Wednesday in response to the rising spread of smallpox across the globe. The committee will evaluate the potential declaration of the outbreak, which is intensifying in several African nations, as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
A PHEIC is the highest level of alert the WHO can issue, initiated by the Director-General based on the committee's recommendation.
In a memo sent to journalists on Saturday, the WHO stated that it held an emergency meeting regarding the resurgence of smallpox in 2024, following a directive from Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Ghebreyesus announced on X that the committee would issue interim recommendations if the outbreak is determined to be a PHEIC. Formerly known as smallpox, the disease is caused by a viral agent that spreads to humans but can also be transmitted through close physical contact with an infected person.
A newly identified strain of Mpox, termed "clade 1b," was discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in September 2023. It has since been reported in several neighboring countries, raising concerns about the virus's spread. According to the WHO Chief, clade 1b "causes more severe illness compared to clade 2."
The DRC remains the most affected country, with 14,479 confirmed and suspected cases and 455 deaths as of August 3, resulting in a case fatality rate of approximately 3%, according to the African Union's health agency.
Smallpox was first identified in humans in 1970 in what is now the DRC (formerly Zaire), with the clade 1 subtype (from which the new variant has mutated) predominantly limited to West and Central African countries, where patients are typically infected by contact with diseased animals.
In 2022, a global outbreak driven by the clade 2 subtype affected nearly 100 countries worldwide, primarily affecting men who have sex with men and bisexual individuals.
In response to this global wave of infection, which led to 140 deaths out of approximately 90,000 cases, the United Nations agency declared a maximum alert in July 2022 before lifting it in May A PHEIC is the highest level of alert the WHO can issue, initiated by the Director-General based on the committee's recommendation.
In a memo sent to journalists on Saturday, the WHO stated that it held an emergency meeting regarding the resurgence of smallpox in 2024, following a directive from Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Ghebreyesus announced on X that the committee would issue interim recommendations if the outbreak is determined to be a PHEIC. Formerly known as smallpox, the disease is caused by a viral agent that spreads to humans but can also be transmitted through close physical contact with an infected person.
A newly identified strain of Mpox, termed "clade 1b," was discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in September 2023. It has since been reported in several neighboring countries, raising concerns about the virus's spread. According to the WHO Chief, clade 1b "causes more severe illness compared to clade 2."
The DRC remains the most affected country, with 14,479 confirmed and suspected cases and 455 deaths as of August 3, resulting in a case fatality rate of approximately 3%, according to the African Union's health agency.
Smallpox was first identified in humans in 1970 in what is now the DRC (formerly Zaire), with the clade 1 subtype (from which the new variant has mutated) predominantly limited to West and Central African countries, where patients are typically infected by contact with diseased animals.
In 2022, a global outbreak driven by the clade 2 subtype affected nearly 100 countries worldwide, primarily affecting men who have sex with men and bisexual individuals.
In response to this global wave of infection, which led to 140 deaths out of approximately 90,000 cases, 2023.