Extract from a BBC news item and comment from me below.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c0e84jw9qdjo
13 August 2024
Mpox, the high infectious disease that used to be called monkeypox, has been declared a public health emergency in Africa by the continent’s top health body.
Scientists from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) say they are alarmed by the speed at which a new strain of mpox has been spreading.
Since the beginning of the year, more than 13,700 cases and 450 deaths have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The virus, which can cause lesions across the whole body, has spread to other African countries, including Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR), Kenya and Rwanda.
What is mpox and how is it spread?
The declaration of a public health emergency will help governments co-ordinate their response and potentially increase the flow of medical supplies and aid into affected areas.
Africa CDC head Jean Kaseya warned that the disease could spiral out of control if immediate steps were not taken to contain it.
"This declaration is not merely a formality. It is a clarion call to action. It is a recognition that we can no longer afford to be reactive. We must be proactive and aggressive in our efforts to contain and eliminate this threat," he said...
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COMMENT (NPW):The news item does not mention WHO. However, WHO's website carries a report published on the same day. 'Multi-country outbreak of mpox, External situation report#35- 12 August 2024'. This report announces that WHO 'has regraded the global mpox multi-country event to an acute grade 3 emergency in accordance with the WHO Emergency Response Framework and issued an information posting to WHO Member States'. It says 'The Director-General is convening an Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) to advise on whether the evolving mpox situation constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)'. (The disease was defined as a PHEIC for a few months in 2022). The report does not mention CDC (although a CDC publication is included in the many references). https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/multi-country-outbreak-of-mpox--...
I would be interested to understand better what are the relative roles of CDC, WHO AFrica Region and WHO in declaring public health emergencies and advising governments.
Best wishes, Neil
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org
