WHO Seeks $135 Million For Coordinated Global Response To Mpox

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) stressed that the current monkeypox (mpox) outbreak can be controlled and halted. He announced an action plan requiring US$135 million over the next six months. This announcement came just over a week after declaring mpox a public health emergency of international concern.

The global outbreak first emerged in 2022, with more than 100,000 confirmed cases reported since then. While the virus continues to circulate at low levels, Africa has seen an unprecedented increase and expansion.

WHO and partners have developed a plan to stop outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of mpox through coordinated efforts at the global, regional, and national levels. The Global Mpox Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SRSP) focuses on implementing comprehensive surveillance and response strategies, as well as advancing research and equitable access to medical countermeasures.

"Our initial estimates are that the SPRP requires approximately $135 million over the next six months for the acute phase of the outbreak. That amount will likely increase as we update the plan in light of growing needs," Tedros said.

Tedros noted that transmission is mainly centred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where there have been more than 16,000 suspected cases, including 575 deaths, this year alone. The surge is driven by two separate outbreaks of two strains of the mpox virus in different parts of the country.

The rapid spread of a new offshoot, clade 1b, was a key reason behind his decision to declare mpox a global public health emergency on 14th August. "In the past month, cases of clade 1b have been reported in four countries neighbouring DRC, which had not reported mpox before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. This week, cases have also been reported in Thailand and Sweden," he said.

Funding Appeal

Tedros added that a dedicated WHO funding appeal will be released early next week. "Responding to this complex outbreak requires a comprehensive and coordinated international response," he told Member States as cases spread beyond Africa to Europe and Asia.

This strategic plan aims to implement comprehensive surveillance and response strategies while advancing research and ensuring equitable access to medical countermeasures. The initial estimate for this plan is around $135 million for the next six months during the acute phase of the outbreak.

The briefing highlighted that Africa has seen an unprecedented increase in mpox cases. Transmission is mainly centred in DRC with more than 16,000 suspected cases this year alone.

The rapid spread of clade 1b led Tedros to declare mpox a global public health emergency on 14th August. In recent weeks, cases have been reported in four countries neighbouring DRC: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Additionally, Thailand and Sweden have also reported cases this week.

This coordinated effort involves global, regional, and national levels to stop human-to-human transmission through comprehensive surveillance and response strategies.

The WHO Director-General emphasised that responding to this complex outbreak requires a comprehensive international response as cases spread beyond Africa to Europe and Asia.

With inputs from WAM