A surge in monkeypox infections in Africa has triggered vaccine efforts
The World Health Organization has designated the surge in monkeypox virus infections in Africa as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and urged a vaccination campaign.
The virus has long been endemic in central Africa, mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When it first began spreading in late 2022, the WHO declared an emergency β and renamed the disease mpox, to avoid βstigma.β
βOn top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, itβs clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives,β WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.
