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The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called for urgent action to stop the spread of monkeypox across the continent.
The World Health Organization (WHO) emergency committee is scheduled to meet on August 14 to decide whether to issue the highest alert for the monkeypox outbreak spreading in several African countries.
In a statement, WHO said the closed-door meeting was held online and started at 10:00 GMT, or 5:00 p.m. the same day in Vietnam.
On social media X, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the committee will take a view on whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). If so, the committee will recommend effective measures to prevent and stop the spread of the disease.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) recently called for urgent action to prevent the “worrying spread” of monkeypox across the continent.
At least 16 African countries have reported cases so far, said Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya. Since January 2022, some 38,465 cases and 1,456 deaths from monkeypox have been recorded.
The Democratic Republic of Congo is currently the country hardest hit by the outbreak. As of August 3, the African Union's health agency reported 14,479 confirmed or suspected cases, including 455 deaths.
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