WHO Forms Emergency Committee To Handle Mpox Outbreak Of Monkeypox In Congo

JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) will form an emergency committee to discuss the monkeypox or Mpox outbreak in Congo.

WHO says 50 Mpox cases have been confirmed and more cases of Mpox are thought to have occurred in four countries Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda where these cases have never been reported before.

"Given the spread of Mpox outside the Congo and the potential for further international spread within and outside Africa, I have decided to form an emergency committee based on International Health Regulations to advise me whether this outbreak is a state of public health emergency that is of international concern," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The health agency said an emergency committee would be formed as soon as possible.

The current outbreak of the Mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo caused around 27,000 cases, and claimed more than 1,100 lives, mostly children, since early 2023.

This begins with the spread of endemic strains, known as "Clade I".

But the new variant, known as Clade Ib, seems to spread more easily through routine close contacts, as happened to children.

The shape of the virus is different and not too severe class IIb virus spread globally in 2022, mostly through sexual contact among men who have sex with men.

This prompted WHO to declare a public health emergency. Even though this has ended, WHO says the disease is still a health threat.