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WHO names mpox a global health emergency for second time as virus surges in Africa

Health·Breaking

The World Health Organization (WHO) has named mpox a public health emergency of international concern for the second time, on the heels of a continental emergency declaration from African health officials as the region remains gripped by outbreaks of the potentially-deadly virus.

Announcement follows African health officials’ Tuesday emergency declaration

World Health Organization director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a committee meeting in August 2024.
The World Health Organization’s emergency committee for mpox met to discuss an upsurge of the virus on Aug. 14 in Geneva, Switzerland. (Supplied by WHO/Lindsay Mackenzie)

The World Health Organization (WHO) has named mpox a public health emergency of international concern for the second time, on the heels of a continental emergency declaration from African health officials as the region remains gripped by outbreaks of the virus.

Known for causing painful, pus-filled lesions, and in some cases severe illness or death, mpox first exploded globally in the summer of 2022, prompting the WHO’s first international emergency declaration which lasted 10 months until mid-2023. 

More to come.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lauren Pelley covers the global spread of infectious diseases, pandemic preparedness and the crucial intersection between health and climate change for CBC. She’s a two-time Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario Media Award winner for in-depth health reporting in 2020 and 2022 and a silver medallist for best editorial newsletter at the 2024 Digital Publishing Awards for CBC Health’s Second Opinion. Contact her at: lauren.pelley@cbc.ca

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