WHO is considering declaring a global emergency over monkeypox. Illustration photo: Getty Images

In an August 4 announcement on the X platform, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that WHO is working with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and governments to respond to the outbreak. However, he stressed that more funding and support is needed to mount a comprehensive response.

Kenya and the Central African Republic have declared new outbreaks of monkeypox, as African health officials struggle to contain the spread of the disease in a region that lacks vaccines. The new strain of the virus has an estimated mortality rate of 10%.

Monkeypox is an infectious disease first identified in humans in 1970 in the Congo, and has been present for many years in several countries in West and Central Africa. The virus is transmitted from infected animals to humans.

“This virus can and must be contained with enhanced public health measures, including surveillance, community engagement, treatment and targeted vaccine deployment,” Mr. Tedros said in an article in Science magazine.

Statistics from 15 African Union member states show that the number of monkeypox cases and deaths in the first seven months of this year increased by 160% and 19%, respectively, compared to the same period in 2023. The African Union has approved $10.4 million to prevent the spread of the virus across the continent.

WHO has declared monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) from July 2022 to May 2023. The decision to re-declare the emergency reflects the seriousness of the outbreak and the importance of public health measures to prevent the spread of the virus.