The Critical Role of Vaccine Procurement for At-Risk Populations in Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the mpox outbreak in Africa a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Fiona Chisholm, Associate Director of Infectious Diseases at GlobalData, a data and analytics company highlighted that the need to focus on measures to contain the outbreak.

“A PHEIC declaration is the highest level of alert that the WHO can issue and reflects the gravity of the situation in Africa, where an unprecedented increase in mpox cases has been reported in recent weeks. This is a call to action for countries and donor agencies worldwide to cooperate in order to contain the outbreak. 

The WHO’s decision also echoes that of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), which declared a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS) just a day earlier,” Chisholm said in a statement.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral infection that causes symptoms such as pus-filled lesions and fever. It can be transmitted by contact with an infected person, animal, or contaminated materials. 

While most people recover within a few weeks, mpox can lead to serious complications such as sepsis, pneumonia, and severe dehydration, and can be fatal. “This is particularly the case for immunocompromised individuals, such as those with HIV,” she added.