The World Health Organisation has released one million dollars from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies to support the scale-up of the Mpox response.

WHO boss Tedros Ghebreyesus said this on Wednesday during an online media conference.

Mr Ghebreyesus said the organisation planned to release more in the coming days. He said the organisation has developed a regional response plan requiring 15 million dollars to support surveillance, preparedness and response activities.

He said there are two vaccines for Mpox that WHO-listed national regulatory authorities have approved.

According to him, the vaccines are recommended by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE).

“I have triggered the process for Emergency Use Listing of both vaccines, which will accelerate vaccine access, particularly for lower-income countries, which have not yet issued their own national regulatory approval.

“Emergency Use Listing also enables partners, including Gavi and UNICEF, to procure vaccines for distribution,” he said.

The WHO boss said since the beginning of 2024, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been experiencing a severe outbreak of Mpox, with more than 14,000 reported cases and 511 deaths.

According to him, outbreaks of Mpox have been reported in DRC for decades, and the number of cases reported each year has been increasing steadily.

“However, the number of cases reported in the first six months in the year match the number reported in all of last year, and the virus has spread to previously unaffected provinces.

“In the past month, more than 50 confirmed and more suspected cases have been reported in four countries neighbouring the DRC that have not reported before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.

“Mpox outbreaks are caused by different viruses called clades,” he said.

Mr Ghebreyesus said that Clade 1 has been circulating in the DRC for years, while Clade 2 was responsible for the global outbreak, which began in 2022.

He said that the current outbreak in the Eastern DRC was caused by a new offshoot of clade 1, called clade 1b, which causes more severe disease than clade 2.

“Clade 1b has been confirmed in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, while the clade in Burundi is still being analysed.

“At the same time, cases of clade 1a have been reported this year in DRC, the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo, while Clade 2 has been reported in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria and South Africa,” Mr Ghebreyesus said.

According to him, WHO is working with the governments of the affected countries, the Africa CDC, NGOs, civil society and other partners to understand and address the drivers of these outbreaks.

“Stopping transmission will require a comprehensive response, with communities at the centre. WHO has standing recommendations on Mpox, which include advice not to impose travel restrictions on affected countries,” he said.

(NAN)