WHO Launches Global Strategic Plan to Combat 'Mpox' Outbreak

On Monday (August 26), the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a global preparedness and response strategy to control the human-to-human transmission of Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox).

This plan will be implemented from September 2024 to February 2025, requiring a budget of USD 135 million (approximately THB 4.6 billion). The strategy aims to enhance surveillance and response mechanisms, ensure equitable access to diagnostics and vaccines, reduce zoonotic transmission, and encourage community-driven outbreak control through coordination at national, regional, and global levels.

The vaccination strategy will focus on those at highest risk, such as close contacts of infected individuals and healthcare workers, to break the chain of transmission. It will also emphasize strategic guidance and ensure access to medical treatment for vulnerable populations in affected regions.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, stated that the Mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighboring countries is controllable and can be halted. The organization plans to submit a funding appeal for this strategy soon.

Source: Xinhua Thai