International
WHO to convene emergency committee to assess international risk from mpox outbreak
The head of the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday (Aug 7) an emergency committee will be convened to discuss whether the current mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo represents a public health emergency of international concern
The current mpox outbreak in Congo has already seen around 27,000 cases, and claimed more than 1,100 lives, most of them children, since the beginning of 2023.
The WHO said that 50 more mpox cases had been confirmed and more were suspected in four countries — Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda — where cases have previously not been reported.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that he had decided to convene an emergency committee in light of the spread of mpox in neighbouring countries and the potential for futher international spread within and outside Africa.
An emergency committee is made up of international experts who provide technical advice and recommendations to the WHO chief about whether a disease outbreak is a "public health emergency of international concern" — the agency's highest level of alert. The final decision is made by the director general.
