dpa
Geneva/ Brussels
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), its highest level of alert, due to a new variant of the mpox viral disease in Africa.
The WHO asserted that there is a risk that mpox could spread internationally again after 2022 and become a health risk in several countries.
The WHO followed the recommendation of independent mpox experts, who had met at the WHO’s invitation in the so-called emergency committee, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva.
The declaration of the emergency does not have concrete consequences. Instead, it aims to alert authorities worldwide to prepare for possible outbreaks.
The European Union will send the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (AfricaCDC) 175,420 doses of vaccines to prevent mpox - previously known as monkeypox - the European Commission announced on Wednesday.
The AfricaCDC declared mpox to be a continent-wide public health emergency on Tuesday, and asked for international help in achieving its target of providing 2 million vaccines.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says mpox is a viral disease that causes a blistering rash. It is spread by physical contact with infected people or animals, as well as contaminated materials. Most patients fully recover.
The commission said in a statement that it would supply the vaccines via its Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA).
Pharmaceutical firm Bavarian Nordic, which manufactures the vaccine, will donate 40,000 doses to HERA, the statement said.
However, only two African countries have approved it
so far.
