Expert reaction to WHO declaring Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Scientists react to the WHO declaring Mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Dr Brian Ferguson, Associate Professor of Immunology, University of Cambridge, said: “The WHO has declared a PHEIC due to the continued spread of monkeypox virus in multiple African countries. The DRC has reported a large increase in cases of Mpox, nearly 8000 in 2024 alone. Cases have also now been found in countries that have not reported Mpox previously; Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. It is thought that the majority of these cases are of caused by clade 1b monkeypox virus, which is more virulent than the clade 2 virus that caused the global outbreak in 2022. These three factors are the main drivers behind the WHO’s decision to declare a PHEIC. This is timely and sensible as co-ordinated, multinational efforts are required to stop the further spread of the virus and to stop history repeating only two...