The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday declared monkeypox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighboring countries in Africa. 

A “public health emergency of international concern,” or PHEIC, is the WHO’s highest level of alert, and it can accelerate research, funding and international public health measures and co-operation to contain the disease, NBC News reports.      

More than 17,000 suspected mpox cases and 517 deaths have been reported on the African continent so far this year, a 160 per cent increase compared to the same period last year, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Cases have been reported in 13 countries.

Mpox has two distinct viral clades, I and II. Both versions can spread through close contact with an infected person or via direct contact with infected animals or contaminated materials.

The outbreak in Congo began with the spread of clade I, a strain that is endemic in central Africa and known to be more transmissible. Clade I can also cause more severe infections; previous outbreaks have killed up to 10 per cent of people who got sick.

“It’s clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

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