[ad_1]
As the African swine fever outbreak affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and spreading to neighbouring countries continues to spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) is stepping up its support to countries to expand measures to contain the virus and save lives.
Following the advice of independent experts from the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, the WHO Director-General has determined that the MPOX outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The emergence of a new strain of MPOX virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its rapid spread to neighbouring countries was one of the main reasons for declaring the outbreak a PHEIC, the second such decision for the disease in two years.
So far this year, 12 countries (Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda) have reported more than 2,100 laboratory-confirmed cases and 13 deaths, while a total of 11 countries reported 1,145 confirmed cases and 7 deaths in all of 2023.
“We are working hard on the front line to fight the epidemic, working closely with the government and the community to strengthen prevention and control measures for smallpox, and step up efforts to curb the spread of the virus through coordinated actions. action working with partners and national authorities,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti (photo), WHO Regional Director for Africa.
WHO is stepping up its support to affected countries by sending more experts, including epidemiologists and anthropologists, and providing initial funding to accelerate the outbreak response. WHO is also working to strengthen cross-border collaboration for case investigation, contact tracing and community engagement to ensure compliance with preventive measures.
The organization also supports national regulators to expedite regulatory approvals and provides guidance to national immunization technical advisory groups to ensure readiness for vaccine rollout. WHO has initiated the emergency use listing process for the MPOX vaccine, which will accelerate access to the vaccine in low-income countries that have not yet received regulatory approval in their own countries. The emergency use listing also enables partners including GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and UNICEF to procure the vaccine for distribution.
The government has also stepped up efforts to strengthen national diagnostic capacity by providing testing kits and reagents as well as machines to decentralize testing. The government is also conducting genome sequencing to identify the evolutionary clades of mpox.
To raise awareness in neighbouring countries and high-risk countries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, disease surveillance and training of frontline health workers are being strengthened, and public information campaigns are being carried out.
Cowpox is caused by an orthopoxvirus and was first identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The disease is considered endemic to countries in Central and West Africa. Cowpox is transmitted from animals to humans. It can also be spread from person to person through contact with body fluids, lesions on the skin or internal mucosal surfaces (such as the mouth or throat), respiratory droplets, and contaminated objects.
Source: WHO Regional Office for Africa.
[ad_2]
Source link
