The World Health Organization (WHO) has reiterated that the mpox outbreak remains a public health emergency, emphasizing the ongoing threat in Africa.
Last August, the WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency when a new strain of mpox began spreading from the heavily affected Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to neighboring countries.
Mpox, a viral infection transmitted through close contact, manifests with flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. While the infection is typically mild, it can be lethal in severe cases.
In 2023 alone, there have been over 46,000 suspected mpox cases across Africa, predominantly in the DRC, resulting in more than 1,000 suspected deaths.
The designation \"public health emergency of international concern\" is the highest level of alert issued by the WHO. This category was also applied to a global outbreak of a different mpox strain from 2022 to 2023, highlighting the virus's persistent impact.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
