On Wednesday, August 15, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the mpox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency due to its rapid spread, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other African nations.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus explained that the surge in mpox cases in the DRC and several neighboring countries meets the criteria for a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) as per the International Health Regulations (2005).
In declaring the PHEIC, Dr. Tedros said, “The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in the eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying. On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in the DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”
The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said, “Significant efforts are already underway in close collaboration with communities and governments, with our country teams working on the frontlines to help reinforce measures to curb mpox. With the growing spread of the virus, we’re scaling up further through coordinated international action to help countries bring the outbreaks to an end.”
Since the beginning of the year, Africa has reported over 17,000 mpox cases and more than 500 deaths across 13 countries. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has labeled the outbreak as a “very high risk event.”
What is Mpox?
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a zoonotic disease transmitted from animals to humans. It is typically found near tropical rainforests where the virus-carrying animals reside. Transmission occurs through contact with bodily fluids, skin lesions, respiratory droplets, and contaminated objects.
Symptoms
Mpox symptoms usually appear within 5 to 16 days after exposure but can develop up to 21 days later. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and a rash with lesions that evolve through several stages before healing. Most individuals recover within four weeks, depending on the severity of symptoms.
Ghana’s Response
Dr. Franklin Asiedu-Bekoe, Director for Public Health at the Ghana Health Service, announced an increase in surveillance efforts. Health professionals are now actively monitoring for early signs of mpox, with re-trained clinicians on alert.
Although Ghana has had some cases in the past two years, no new cases have been reported recently.
Dr. Asiedu-Bekoe noted that Ghana’s reference laboratory capabilities have improved, enhancing case confirmation processes beyond reliance on Noguchi Memorial Institute.
Clinical epidemiologist Professor Fred Binka emphasized the importance of vigilance.
“The rate of spread shows that the ‘Clade 1b’ strain is highly infectious so for countries like Ghana, all 16 regions must be ready and looking out for both positive and negative results.
“In this case, negative results are also important and people must report. Once we suspect that there are cases, we must make sure that we are supplying the facilities with reagents so that they will be able to do the initial diagnosis and then send it to our reference laboratories for confirmation,” he advised.
He advised the public to seek medical attention for symptoms similar to malaria.
“When you have a fever, feel nauseous, or have muscle pain, do a test. If it doesn’t confirm malaria, remember that it can be some other disease, like in this case, mpox, and then seek further tests to be done,” he advised.