New Delhi: Monkeypox or Mpox virus continues to be a growing threat to the overall world, amid this scare, the World Health Organization (WHO) secretary general has recently said that the new mpox virus can be halted or brought under control. The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a briefing said this new monkeypox outbreak can be controlled and stopped, to achieve this a concerted action between the international agencies and national and local partners, civil society, researchers and manufacturers, and the members of health departments is needed.
Till now, over 100,000 confirmed cases of mpox have been reported to the WHO since the global outbreak that began in 2022. The transmission is now centred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 90 per cent of the reported cases in 2024. Within this year, there have been over 16,000 suspected cases including 575 deaths reported.
Explaining how the virus was announced a public health emergency of international concern, Tedros said that earlier this month, cases of the Clade 1b strain of the virus were reported not only from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, which neighbour Congo, but also in Thailand and Sweden where cases were not reported.
How can the Mpox virus be stopped?
The WHO report further noted that WHO and its associations have developed a Global Mpox Virus Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan to halt or stop the outbreak via coordinated global, regional and national efforts. This plan focuses on implementing comprehensive vigilance, limiting zoonotic transmission, and empowering communities to actively participate in outbreak prevention and control.
To reduce the transmission of monkeypox spread, the WHO has been working with a wide range of international regional, national and local partners to improve preparedness against the virus and boost the coordination in key areas of responses, noted the WHO Regional Office for Africa will jointly lead the coordination of mpox response efforts in the African region in association with the Ethiopian-based Africa CDC.
The World Health Organization Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a briefing said this new monkeypox outbreak can be controlled and stopped, to achieve this a concerted action between the international agencies and national and local partners, civil society, researchers and manufacturers, and the members of health departments is needed. Health Conditions Health News: Latest News from Health Care, Mental Health, Weight Loss, Disease, Nutrition, Healthcare
