The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for strengthened cross-border collaboration to monitor and manage suspected Mpox cases in international transport. This comes just days after declaring the Mpox outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern.”
In a detailed report from the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee meeting held on August 14, the WHO issued a series of temporary recommendations for countries experiencing a surge in Mpox cases. These include, but are not limited to, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
These temporary recommendations are meant to complement existing guidelines on Mpox, which the WHO decided on Monday to extend for another year, until August 20, 2025.
The WHO emphasizes the importance of establishing or reinforcing cross-border agreements for the surveillance and management of suspected Mpox cases, along with improving communication with travelers and transport operators. However, the organization cautions against imposing broad travel and trade restrictions that could unnecessarily harm local, regional, or national economies.
Among the recommendations, the WHO also urges the implementation of vaccination plans in areas where Mpox cases have emerged in the past 2 to 4 weeks, particularly targeting high-risk populations.
The WHO stresses the need to enhance coordination among all partners and stakeholders involved in response efforts, advocating for the introduction of accountability mechanisms.
The organization also recommends expanding access to accurate, affordable, and available diagnostic tools to differentiate between Mpox virus clades. This includes improving sample transportation, decentralizing diagnostics, and enabling genomic sequencing.
In addition, the WHO advises providing clinical, nutritional, and psychosocial support to Mpox patients, including isolation in care centers if necessary, and offering guidance for home care.
Finally, the WHO underscores the importance of timely and weekly reporting of suspected, probable, and confirmed Mpox cases.
This alert from the WHO comes in response to the ongoing resurgence of Mpox in Africa. Since January 2022, the continent has recorded approximately 38,465 Mpox cases and 1,456 deaths, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa).
