WHO to convene emergency committee to assess mpox spread

The World Health Organisation (WHO) called for an emergency meeting on mpox following its spread outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus convened an Emergency Committee to advise him on whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern. "The committee will meet as soon as possible and will be made up of independent experts from a range of relevant disciplines around the world," the WHO Director-General said in Geneva. Tedros said, "In the past month, about 50 confirmed and more suspected cases have been reported in four countries neighbouring the DRC that have not been reported before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda." WHO is working with the governments of the affected countries, the Africa Centre for Disease Control, non-governmental organisations, civil society and other partners to understand and address the drivers of these outbreaks. Mpox - formerly monkeypox - is a viral disease endemic in Central and W est Africa. It can be transmitted through physical contact with an infected person, animal or contaminated materials. Symptoms include skin rash or lesions, accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes. Source : Emirates News Agency