WHO says Mpox remains global health threat

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Monkeypox (Mpox) has remained a global health threat as 26 countries reported cases to WHO in July.

The Director-General of the organisation, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, said this on Thursday during an online media conference.

Ghebreyesus said the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo showed no sign of slowing, with more than 11,000 cases reported in 2024 and 445 deaths, with children the most affected.

He added that “South Africa recently reported 20 cases of mpox to WHO, including three deaths, with first cases in that country since 2022.

“The cases were all men, and most self-identified as men who have sex with men.

“None had reported any history of international travel, which suggests the confirmed cases are a small proportion of all cases, and that community transmission is ongoing.”

According to him, WHO is supporting both DRC and South Africa to respond to the outbreaks, to conduct surveillance, to engage affected communities, and to develop immunisation strategies to ensure the most effective response.

Ghebreyesus said that in early July, United States reported a fourth human case of H5N1 following exposure to infected dairy cows.

He said that Cambodia also reported two cases in children who had contact with sick or dead chickens.

He added that “at the moment, no human-to-human transmission has been reported, which is why WHO continues to assess the risk to the general public as low.

“However, our ability to assess and manage that risk is compromised by limited surveillance for influenza viruses in animals globally.

“Understanding how these viruses are spreading and changing in animals is essential for identifying any changes that might increase the risk of outbreaks in humans, or the potential for a pandemic.”

The WHO boss urged countries to strengthen influenza surveillance and reporting in animals and humans and share samples of influenza viruses with WHO collaborating centres.

He also urged countries to share genetic sequences of human and animal flu viruses with publicly accessible databases and provide protection for farm workers who may be exposed to infected animals

“The countries should accelerate research on avian influenza and encourage closer cooperation between animals and human health sectors,” he said.

According to him, even as they continue to study the spread of H5N1, they also continue to study COVID-19, which still kills an average of 1700 people globally every week.

He, however, noted that data has indicated that vaccine coverage has declined among health workers and people over 60, which are two of the most at-risk groups.

Ghebreyesus said WHO has recommended people in the highest risk groups receive a COVID-19 vaccine within 12 months of last dose.

Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus, characterised by symptoms such as fever, headache, swollen lymph nodes and chills.

Other symptoms are exhaustion and rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth and other parts of the body like the hands, feet, chest, genitals or anus.

Mpox is a sexually transmitted disease transmitted through close contact with infected person.