WHO declares new monkeypox outbreak an international medical emergency

The World Health Organization is considering declaring an international medical emergency over a worrying outbreak of a new, more deadly form of smallpox in Africa. The WHO is currently meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

The outbreak is centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. More than 14,000 cases and at least 511 deaths have been reported since the beginning of 2023. The first cases were recently recorded in four African countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Cases of the disease have also been identified in Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa. The disease was previously called monkeypox.

The World Health Organization has set up an emergency committee in Geneva. Experts are considering declaring a global health emergency at the highest level. The WHO has also declared this emergency in relation to the coronavirus, for example, just as it did with the previous smallpox outbreak in 2022. This now concerns a new type of monkeypox virus: monkeypox clade Ib. The mortality rate will be up to 10 percent.

The smallpox virus is descended from the “common” smallpox: a very deadly disease that has been completely eradicated thanks to vaccination. The majority of smallpox infections come from two different types: clade I and clade II; the disease has been present in Africa for decades. The second type is less dangerous: more than 99 percent of infections survive. In 2022, a new variant emerged that can spread more quickly through sexual contact: clade IIb. The virus has since spread to 70 countries, mainly affecting gay men.

The new variant that the WHO is concerned about – clade Ib – causes rashes all over the body, not just on the face and genitals. The African Union had previously declared a state of emergency. The good news is that a vaccine is available: the Danish company Bavarian Nordic will supply an additional 40,000 vaccines. The WHO meets on Wednesday until 5 p.m.