A 120 million euro plan is required

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General World Health Organization (WHO)assured last Friday that the current outbreak MPoxformerly known as monkeypox, “can be controlled and stopped”, a plan has been announced that will cost around 120 million euros over the next six months.

Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the virus of the same name, the most common symptoms of which are skin rashes and mucous membrane lesionsOn August 14 this year, it was again declared an international health emergency due to a new outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, new strain or clade to what caused the 2022 emergency.

“Let me be clear: this new mpox flash can be controlled and stopped (…) This requires a comprehensive and coordinated international response,” Adhanom Ghebreyesus said during an information session for Member States, calling on them to work in cooperation with international organizations, civil society, researchers and manufacturers.

Thus, according to WHO estimates, approximately 135 million dollars (just over 120 million euros) to the fund needed to combat the “acute” phase of the outbreak planned for the next six months, with the amount expected to increase “in light of growing needs” and to stop “as soon as possible” the disease.

Ghebreyesus stressed that the global response plan to MIC and all measures taken to stop its spread must be consistent with the principles of “equity, global solidarity, community empowerment, human rights and coordination across sectors.”

In mid-August, WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern at the highest level of alert due to the smallpox outbreak in Africa, which originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and was caused by a new, more serious and deadly strain.

The agency has developed a concrete plan that requires 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 allocated from the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies.