Mpox Declared a Global Health Emergency by WHO

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, sweeping the world, has officially been declared as a global health emergency by the World Health Organization. This was issued as a response to a new strain, Clade 1b, emerging from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the first region where the outbreak began. The new strain, which has already traveled to 18 different countries, including some that have yet to report a single case of the disease, has been a significant source of concern due to its increased transmissibility and impact on children. Monkeypox is spread through close contact with the infected, including skin-on-skin contact and is associated with symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, and pustular skin rashes. While most cases are mild and clear up on their own, some cases can develop into encephalitis, myocarditis, and severe bacterial infections, which may need antiviral medications and hospitalization.

The WHO mentioned that the outbreak has resulted in over 17,000 infected this year alone, with 571 registered deaths already, surpassing the accumulated statistics of the last year. It is of utmost concern that the mpox will be classified as a pandemic, considering the speed with which the disease is spreading and the extent of its consequences for those affected. The clearest sign of this event is the call for the international community to band together and take action since the new strain of monkeypox has been a preventable disease for a long time now. The vaccine was initially created in 2018, during the previous outbreak, yet the distribution has seen a disproportionate impact, with Western countries not having to deal with the issue of lack of vaccine to the same extent as the African nations where the disease runs rampant. According to Samira Asma, WHO Assistant Director-General for Data, Analytics and Delivery, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling for 10 million doses, far above the current supply, yet the agency has offered no assistance.

The global coordination was hindered not only by the outbreak and the new strain but by the name of the disease. The WHO raised concerns about monkeypox being a racist term that discriminates against marginal populations and the renaming of the previous health emergency by the African nations. The factors contributing to the current outbreak, in an age when previously-eradicated diseases have been recurring in areas like the United States and United Kingdom, must be analyzed further to avoid potential pandemics in the future.