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The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) has agreed with the recommendations put forward by the Emergency Committee on the recent rise of mpox in 2024, and on 14 August 2024, declared that this increase in mpox cases across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other African nations signifies a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The official announcement regarding this PHEIC declaration can be accessed here.
The Director-General wishes to relay insights from the inaugural meeting of the IHR Emergency Committee concerning this uptick in mpox cases.
Furthermore, it is noted that a one-year prolongation of existing mpox recommendations will be communicated to States Parties. The temporary guidelines formulated concerning this PHEIC are elaborated in later sections and reflect recommendations made by the Committee.
The Director-General extends heartfelt thanks to all members, including the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Advisors of the IHR Emergency Committee.
Details from The Meeting
A total of sixteen Members and two Advisors from the Emergency Committee participated in an online meeting conducted via Zoom on Wednesday, 14 August 2024, from noon to 5 PM CEST. Of these attendees, fifteen Members alongside both Advisors contributed actively to discussions.
In-person participation included remarks from WHO’s Director-General who welcomed attendees. For his opening address details are available here.
A representative from Legal Counsel briefed participants about their roles according to established procedures under relevant articles pertaining to IHR. Additionally, an Ethics Officer outlined WHO’s Declaration of Interests process ensuring all conflicts were disclosed appropriately. Each participant confirmed there were no conflicts present at that moment during extensive discussions focused on confidentiality.
The election for key officers was then facilitated by Legal Counsel: Professor Dimie Ogoina became Chair; Professor Inger Damon as Vice-Chair; and Professor Lucille Helen Blumberg as Rapporteur—all elected unanimously.
The Chair laid out meeting objectives which involved assessing whether current events classify as a PHEIC and seeking guidance on potential temporary recommendations moving forward.
Input Session for State Representatives
The Secretariat provided an update regarding mpox’s global epidemiological landscape. Notably, within six months into 2024 alone—1854 confirmed mpox instances emerged across WHO’s African Region constituting approximately 36% (1854/5199) globally reported cases. A staggering majority known at around 95% (1754/1854) originated specifically within DRC—a site grappling with severe case increases where more than fifteen thousand compatible clinical instances alongside over five hundred fatalities have already been recorded following last year’s caseloads surpassing prior figures witnessed throughout DRC history since monitoring began back approximately over past decades starting early onwards into recent reports crafted.[…]