The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday reaffirmed that the Mpox outbreak remains a public health emergency.
Initially declared in August last year, the emergency status persists due to the rising number of cases and the continued geographic spread of the disease. WHO cited ongoing violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as a major obstacle to its response efforts.
A distinct strain of Mpox was previously classified as an emergency between 2022 and 2023. The latest variant primarily affects the DRC, with Uganda and Burundi also experiencing significant outbreaks. Travel-related cases have been reported in countries such as Thailand and Britain.
Since the beginning of 2024, over 21,000 laboratory-confirmed cases and 70 deaths—mostly in the DRC—have been recorded. In 2023, there were more than 50,000 suspected cases and over 1,000 deaths.
Mpox is a viral infection spread through close contact, causing flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. While typically mild, it can be deadly in some cases.
