WHO declares sheeppox a global health emergency

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the highly infectious disease Mpox a global health emergency, for the second time in two years.

The disease, formerly known as monkeypox, killed at least 450 people in an initial outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The virus has now spread to parts of central and eastern Africa, and scientists are concerned about the speed at which a new variant is spreading and its high mortality rate.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the risk of further spread in Africa and beyond “is very worrying.”

“A coordinated international response is essential to stop this outbreak and save lives,” he said.

By declaring the Mpox outbreak a public health emergency, it is hoped that research, funding and the introduction of other international public health measures will be accelerated.

There are two main strains of the virus circulating.

Clade I is endemic to Central Africa, but clade Ib is a new, more virulent form of the viruswhich one scientist described as the “most dangerous yet.”

It is spread through close contact with an infected person, such as through sexual intercourse, skin-to-skin contact, or by talking or breathing near another person.

The disease can cause damage all over the bodyand in some cases it can be fatal.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 13,700 cases of the disease have been recorded in the DR Congo, with at least 450 deaths.

It has since been detected in other African countries, including Burundi, the Central African Republic, Kenya and Rwanda.

This is not the first time that WHO has declared a public health emergency following an outbreak of MPOX.As of July 2022, a milder strain, called Clade II, has spread to nearly 100 countriesincluding some in Europe and Asia.

This epidemic was brought under control thanks to the vaccination of vulnerable groups.

On Tuesday, scientists from the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared a state of public health emergency.

The organization’s director, Jean Kaseya, warned that the disease could spiral out of control if immediate measures were not taken to contain it.

“We must be proactive and aggressive in our efforts to contain and eliminate this threat,” he said.