WHO declares end to 10-month long mpox public health emergency

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday it was ending a 10-month-long global health emergency for mpox, a viral disease that led to confirmed cases in more than 100 countries.

The organisation declared mpox, formerly known as monkey pox, a public health emergency of international concern in July 2022 and backed its stand in November and February.

The WHO's director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, declared the end of the emergency status for the disease based on the recommendation of the organisation's emergency committee, which met on Wednesday.

The move signals that the crisis due to mpox, which spreads through direct contact with body fluids and causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled skin lesions, has come under control.

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Ireland’s Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and Chief Medical Officer Prof Breda Smyth welcomed the WHO’s decision.

“The WHO’s announcement is a welcome development and highlights the success in tackling this disease,” said Mr Donnelly.

“Awareness campaigns and the close engagement of the affected community with public health have played a vital role in helping to bring the disease under control. We continue to work towards the long-term elimination of the disease.”

Prof Smyth said: “This announcement follows a steep decline in case numbers and is a very welcome development. However, it is important that those at higher risk continue to follow public health advice and safe sexual health practices. Public health measures including vaccination will continue to play an important role as we work to keep this illness at bay and I would encourage those who are eligible to come forward for vaccination.”

Nicola Low, vice chair of WHO's emergency committee on mpox, said there was a need to move to a strategy for managing the long-term public health risks of mpox than to rely on emergency measures.

The transition would mean including mpox response and preparedness under national disease surveillance programs such as those for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, Low said.

Almost 90 per cent fewer mpox cases were reported in the past three months, compared with cases in the same duration before that, the WHO chief said.

More than 87,000 mpox cases have been confirmed globally from the beginning of 2022 through May 8 this year, according to the WHO's latest report.

WHO said it was particularly concerned about African countries which have been dealing with mpox long before the global outbreak began, and could continue to deal with it for some time to come.

The WHO recently also declared an end of public health emergency status for Covid-19.

“While the emergencies of mpox and Covid-19 are both over, the threat of resurgent waves remains for both. Both viruses continue to circulate and both continue to kill,” Mr Tedros said. – Reuters

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2023