WHO says the mpox outbreak remains a public health concern

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday that the Mpox outbreak remains a public health emergency.  

Speaking during an International Health Regulations meeting, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the mpox upsurge still meets the threshold of a public health emergency. 

The health body is now revising temporary recommendations to the current member states experiencing the outbreak. 

The recommendations are meant to guide the affected countries in their efforts to prevent and control the outbreak. 

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, was first identified by scientists in 1958 when outbreaks of a “pox-like” disease in monkeys occurred. 

Until recently, most human cases were seen in people in central and West Africa who had close contact with infected animals. 

In 2022, the virus was confirmed to spread via sex for the first time and triggered outbreaks in more than 70 countries across the world that had not previously reported mpox. 

In Africa, the outbreak has been reported in several countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi.