WHO declare say Mpox na global health emergency

Di World Health Organization don declare di highly infectious disease, Mpox, as global health emergency on Wednesday.

Public health emergency of international concern (OHEIC) na im be di highest level of health alert for WHO.

Dis alert dey come just one day afta Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention declare Mpox as continental public health emergency.

Di committee wey dey in charge of making dis decision bin meet earlier today for one close door meeting wey last for hours.

Dis na di second time wey WHO dey declare Mpox as global health emergency.

“Today di Emergency Committee meet and advise me say for im mind, di situation na public health emergency of international concern. I don accept dat advice,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director General tok.

Di first time na for May 2022 wen di virus bin spread to more dan seventy countries and dem bin also confam say e fit spread through sexual contact for di first time.

Dem bin link dis first outbreak to one virus wey dem dey call clade 2.

Wetin dey different be say dis time, di outbreak wey bin begin for DR Congo get link wit different strain wey dem sabi as clade 1 b — dis na mutation of di original clade 1.

But Oga Ghebreyesus say dis time, “We dey deal wit several outbreaks of different clades for different kontris wit different modes of transmission and different levels of risk,”

Dis na also di number eight time wey WHO dey activate dis kain alarm, wey e mostly consider as im last resort anytime wey dem get health emergency.

WHO say twenty-six kontris across di world don report laboratory confam Mpox cases and deaths.

Di region wey dis affect pass na di Africa region, di Americas, Europe, Western Pacific and di South- East Asia region.

Di agency add say reports from countries don dey reduce.

WHO Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation(SAGE) also recommend two vaccines for Mpox wey WHO-listed regulatory authorities also don approve, plus including individual countries like including Nigeria and DRC.

Africa top health body bin declare Mpox, as a public health emergency for Africa on Tuesday.

Scientists from di Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) say dem bin dey shocked by di speed wey one new strand of Mpox take dey spread.

Since di beginning of di year, dem don record more dan 13,700 cases and 450 deaths for di Democratic Republic of Congo.

Di virus, wey fit cause bruise for di whole body, don spread to oda African kontris wey include Burundi, di Central African Republic (CAR) Kenya and Rwanda.

Di virus, wey fit cause lesions for di whole body, don spread to oda African kontris wey include Burundi, di Central African Republic (CAR) Kenya and Rwanda.

Di declaration of a public health emergency go help governments co-ordinate dia response and possibly increase di flow of medical supplies and aid go affected areas.

Health chiefs outside Africa go also dey monitor di situation to assess di risk of di outbreak of spreading further.

Why Mpox dey spread fast across East and Central Africa?

According to Africa CDC, di number of cases don almost double di number dem get last year, and di number of deaths don go up by nearly a fifth.

Di African Union don approve $10.4 million from existing Covid funds to support di Africa CDC to fight di outbreak of Mpox across di continent.

Most of di cases and deaths dey for di Democratic Republic of Congo.

Dis year alone, dem don report ova 8000 cases and ova 300 deaths.

Dr Fiona Braka, World Health Organization Emergency Response Manager for Congo Brazzaville, say “dem don report cases of Mpox for 11 kontris for di region since di beginning of 2024.”

“We dey see di biggest outbreak for DRC wey account for 96% of all di cases we don see,” she tok.

Rwanda and Central African Republic bin recently report two cases of di highly contagious disease, few days afta, Burundi also announce confirmation of cases.

Most recently, neighbouring Kenya don also report one case dem detect for one pesin wey dey travel from Uganda go Rwanda through one border crossing for di south of di kontri.

Dis don raise concerns about di spread of one new deadly strain of di disease.

South Africa also don record cases of di virus, with three deaths, but preliminary tests show say e fit be di less dangerous strain na im cause di deaths.

Health experts say di virus dey change im behaviour, dem tok say now, e dey show up among new groups, like sex workers.

Di disease dey spread through physical and sexual contact and fit bypass diagnostic tests as some carriers no dey show symptoms.

Wetin be Mpox?

Mpox, wey pipo sabi before as monkey pox na viral disease wey resemble small pox wey dey less serious.

Di symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, and rash wey dey spread from di face go oda parts of di body.

Mpox dey spread from animals to humans and between pipo through close contact wit pesin wey dey infected – e include through sex, skin-to-skin contact and to tok or breathe close to pesin wey dey infected.

Di two major strains of Mpox virus (MPVX) na di MPVX Clade IIb and di MPXV Clade I.

Na MPXV Clade IIb strain bin cause di global outbreak wey happun for 2022 but scientists say di strain wey dey spread for DRC now na one variant wey dey more aggressive and highly dangerous - MPXV Clade I strain.

Wetin authorities fit do?

Fundamental public health measures like communication, testing, treatment, contact tracing, and community engagement dey essential to combatting Mpox.

Leandre Murhula Masirika, one Mpox research coordinator for DRC, say porous borders na one of di key challenges in dealing wit di disease.

“Controls no dey for di borders. Kamituga get two borders and pipo dey move from here go Rwanda and Burundi," e tok.

Di virus get incubation period of around four to 20 days, and sometimes di wound dey only show for di genital area. Masirika say dis dey make am hard to spot, so testing for di border dey important.

Di research coordinator say better communication wit high-risk groups to combat stigmatization dey important to prevent spread.

Urgent calls for vaccines

As di virus dey spread, global health experts dey call for comprehensive vaccine campaign.

While di DRC and South Africa don start di process of getting vaccines, none don arrive yet.

U.S. and Japan don promise vaccines, but dia deployment still dey pend.

“Di vaccine no dey available, and pipo dey die,”Mpox researcher, Masirika tok.

Three vaccines dey wey dey exist but na only for pipo wey dey at risk or wey don dey in close contact with pesin wey dey infected.