'WHO Warns On Deadlier Strain Of Mpox' - Axios

Author: Benzinga Newsdesk | August 05, 2024 12:09pm

https://www.axios.com/2024/08/05/mpox-who-warning-africa

The World Health Organization is weighing discussions on whether to declare an international public health emergency as a deadlier strain of mpox spreads in Africa.

Why it matters: Vaccines and public health surveillance could control the virus, which is killing about 3% of those infected with a new strain in Africa this year and spreading via sex, Science reports.

Driving the news: WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote Sunday on X that he's considering convening an advisory committee to discuss whether an emergency should be declared.

• Local governments and partners are scaling up a response, but more funding and support are needed, he wrote.
• Mpox — previously known as monkeypox — has risen by 160% in Africa this year compared with 2023, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
• While the vast majority of cases are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, outbreaks have been reported in 15 countries.

Context: Less than 1% of infected people died during the global mpox emergency in 2022.

• Researchers are examining how well mpox vaccines can work after people have become infected.

Posted In: AEMD CMRX EJH GOVX INO MRNA SIGA TNXP