By Agence France-Presse
The World Health Organization said Monday that the mpox epidemic remains an international health emergency, with more than 37,000 confirmed cases reported since it erupted.
WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the extension of the emergency following a meeting of international experts last Thursday—where the International Health Regulations emergency committee decided that the epidemic remains an international emergency “based on the continuing rise in the number of cases, including a recent increase in West Africa, and likely ongoing undetected transmission in some countries beyond the African continent.”
The committee said some countries were still struggling to monitor the epidemic and with a lack of funding for treatment, there was a need for “continued international support.”
The WHO said since the epidemic started in early 2024 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there have been more than 37,000 cases in 25 countries, including 125 deaths.
DR Congo accounts for 60% of the confirmed cases and 40% of the deaths from the virus, which causes a rash and severe flu-like symptoms.
Uganda and Burundi have been the next worst hit, followed by Sierra Leone, which the WHO said has seen a surge in cases this year.
WHO first declared mpox an international emergency in August last year.
