The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has assured this Friday that the current mpox outbreak “can be controlled and stopped”, for which he has announced a plan that requires about €120 million in the next six months.
“Let me be clear: this new mpox outbreak can be controlled and stopped (…). This requires a comprehensive and coordinated international response,” he said during a briefing to member states, which he urged to work in collaboration with international organizations, civil society, researchers and manufacturers.
The WHO has thus estimated that approximately 135 million dollars (just over 120 million euros) are needed to deal with the “acute” phase of the outbreak expected to occur in the next six months — an amount that is expected to increase “in light of the growing needs” — and to stop “as soon as possible” this disease previously known as monkeypox.
Ghebreyesus has stressed that the global response plan to mpox and all the measures implemented to stop its advance must adhere to the principles of “equity, global solidarity, community training, human rights and coordination between sectors.”
In mid-August, the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern, its highest alert level, due to the outbreak of mpox in Africa, which arose in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and was caused by a new, more serious and lethal strain.
The agency has drawn up a specific plan requiring an initial $15 million (€13.6 million) to support surveillance, preparedness and response activities on the African continent, where $1.45 million (€1.31 million) has already been released from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies.
