Geneva, 7 August 2024 (dpa/MIA) - The World Health Organization (WHO) will convene an Emergency Committee to discuss an expanding outbreak of a dangerous strain of mpox in Sub-Saharan Africa, Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday.

The Emergency Committee consists of a panel of experts who advise Tedros on whether the WHO should declare a "public health emergency of international concern."

Tedros said the committee will meet "as soon as possible and will be made up of independent experts from a range of relevant disciplines from around the world."

Alarm grew after cases were reported from four countries in Africa that previously had no known cases of mpox: Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda.

There is a risk that mpox will spread further, perhaps even to countries far from the region, said WHO mpox expert Rosamund Lewis.

The WHO stressed that it was not recommending any travel restrictions, but that people need to be informed about the risks and authorities must be vigilant to detect outbreaks at an early stage.

By declaring an emergency, the WHO would be sending a signal to governments to step up their surveillance, keep an eye out for outbreaks and prepare for a possible spread. However, all measures are decided by governments; The WHO has no authority to order countries to take certain actions.

An mpox emergency was already declared by the WHO from July 2022 to May 2023. At that time, there were cases in numerous countries, including in Europe.

However, a new variant emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo around September 2023, named clade 1b. The WHO said it could be more dangerous than previous variants because it spreads more easily from person to person.

Mpox viruses are transmitted through close physical contact. The most noticeable symptom of the disease is blisters and pustules on the skin.

Photo: MIA archive