In order to assess whether a worldwide emergency should be declared due to the mpox virus’s rising spread throughout Africa, the president of the World Health Organization announced on Wednesday that he will call a meeting of experts.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced during a news conference in Geneva that he has chosen to request independent specialists to advise WHO “as soon as possible” due to the growing number of mpox cases outside of the Congo.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed last week that mpox, also called monkeypox, has been found in ten African nations so far this year, with Congo accounting for more than 96% of cases and fatalities.
The organization reported that mortality had increased by 19% and cases have increased by 160% when compared to the same period previous year.
Children under the age of 15 account for roughly 70% of illnesses and 85% of deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to officials at the Africa CDC.