WHO Chief Urges Global Coordination to Halt New Mpox Outbreak

The World Health Organization (WHO) Secretary-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced on Friday that the new mpox virus outbreak can be controlled and halted with coordinated global efforts. During a briefing with WHO member states, Tedros stressed the importance of collective action involving international agencies, national and local partners, civil society, researchers, manufacturers, and WHO member states to combat the spread of the virus.

“This new mpox outbreak can be controlled and stopped,” Tedros declared, emphasizing that a unified global response is crucial to containing the virus and preventing further transmission.

Since the global mpox outbreak began in 2022, the WHO has reported over 100,000 confirmed cases, with a significant surge in infections across Africa. In 2024, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) emerged as the epicenter of the outbreak, accounting for 90% of the reported cases. This year alone, the DRC has seen more than 16,000 suspected cases and 575 deaths.

Tedros highlighted the growing concern as the Clade 1b strain of the virus was recently detected in neighboring countries such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, as well as in Thailand and Sweden, where the virus had not previously been reported. This spread underscores the urgent need for a coordinated international response.

In response to the outbreak, the WHO and its partners have developed a Global Mpox Virus Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan. The strategy aims to stop the spread of the virus through comprehensive global, regional, and national efforts. Key components of the plan include enhanced surveillance, advancing research and equitable access to medical countermeasures, reducing zoonotic transmission, and empowering communities to actively participate in outbreak prevention and control.

Tedros also noted the critical role of collaboration, with the WHO working closely with a broad range of partners to bolster preparedness and response efforts. The WHO Regional Office for Africa, in partnership with the Africa CDC, based in Ethiopia, will lead the coordination of response efforts in the African region, where the need for intervention is most pressing.

As the global community continues to confront the mpox outbreak, Tedros’s call for concerted action underscores the importance of solidarity and swift, coordinated efforts to protect public health and prevent further spread of the virus.