New York: Europe and the Arabs
The World Health Organization today launched a global strategic preparedness and response plan to stop the spread of human-to-human transmission of monkeypox virus through coordinated global, regional and national efforts. This came in the United Nations daily news bulletin, a copy of which we received this morning, Tuesday.
This comes after the Director-General of the organization, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, announced on August 14 that the rise in cases of monkeypox (Mpox) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.
In a statement issued by the World Health Organization yesterday, Monday, it explained that the plan covers the period from September 2024 to February 2025, and requires funding of 135 million US dollars for the response by the United Nations organization, member states and partners, including the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, communities and researchers, among others.
Vaccination efforts
The plan focuses on implementing comprehensive surveillance, prevention, preparedness and response strategies; promoting research and equitable access to medical countermeasures such as diagnostic tests and vaccines; reducing animal-to-human transmission; and empowering communities to actively participate in outbreak prevention and control.
The organization said strategic vaccination efforts will target the most vulnerable individuals, including close contacts of recent cases and health care workers, to break chains of transmission.
At the global level, the organization explained that the focus will be on strategic leadership, timely evidence-based guidance, and access to medical countermeasures for the most vulnerable groups in affected countries.
An outbreak that can be stopped
The World Health Organization is scheduled to host a virtual global conference on 29-30 August to align monkeypox research with outbreak control goals.
The director-general of the organization said that the outbreak of monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries can be controlled and stopped, which requires a “comprehensive action plan.” He stressed that the response plan launched by the organization provides this matter based on the principles of equity, global solidarity, community empowerment, human rights and coordination across sectors. The organization said that in the African region, where the need is greatest, the WHO Regional Office for Africa, in cooperation with the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will coordinate the response efforts to the monkeypox virus.