WHO Activates Global Health Emergency Corp in Response to Mpox

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Oct. 29, 2024 that it has activated the Global Health Emergency Corp (GHEC) in collaboration with Member States and other partners in response to mpox outbreaks (1). This is the first time GHEC, which was established by WHO in 2023 as a response to COVID-19, has been activated to support countries dealing with mpox. Leaders from affected and other countries met on October 22 as part of the GHEC activation to discuss effect control measures, best practices, and the coordination of efforts.

Mpox was declared as a public health emergency by WHO in August of 2024 (2). “The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo], and the reporting of cases in several neighboring countries are very worrying. On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, said at the time of the announcement (2).

“WHO and partners are supporting the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries to implement an integrated approach to case detection, contact tracing, targeted vaccination, clinical and home care, infection prevention and control, community engagement and mobilization, and specialized logistical support,” said Mike Ryan, MD, executive director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme, in the October 29 press release (1). “The GHEC enhances the ability of the many effective responders at national and regional levels to collaborate and ensure the success on the ground in interrupting transmission and reducing suffering.”

GHEC’s objective is to strengthen the response to health emergencies and provide a platform in which countries and health networks can collaborate the response, including deployment of experts and leaders. GHEC is assessing workforce capacities in eight countries including DRC and Burundi, which have been the most impacted by the mpox outbreak. There have been 22 areas identified by GHEC that are in need of epidemiology, surveillance, laboratory capacity, infection prevention, risk communication, and community engagement. WHO has deployed 55 experts to the impacted countries, as of October 17, that include WHO staff through the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) and the African Volunteers Health Corps. GOARN is also mapping partner support on a bilateral basis to impacted countries and the coordination structure in the region, including providing experts, supplies, financial support, and strengthening capacity.

“By mobilizing trained professionals from within the continent, we ensure that responses are not only timely but also contextually relevant,” said Abdou Salam Gueye, MD, PhD, regional emergency director for the WHO Regional Office for Africa, in the press release (1). “The dedication and expertise of these responders are essential in saving lives and building resilient health systems capable of withstanding future threats.”

In other mpox news, a report based on outcomes of a workshop held on Oct. 2, 2024 by the International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities was announced by the European Medicines Agency on Oct. 25, 2024. The current epidemiological status and the availability of mpox vaccines in African countries was discussed during the workshop. Discussion at the workshop was focused on the prioritization of treatments for children because children are the most vulnerable group in the DRC and have the highest fatality ratio (3).

References

1. WHO. WHO and Partners Activate Global Health Emergency Corps for the First Time in Response to Mpox Outbreak. Press Release. Oct. 29, 2024.
2. WHO. WHO Director-General Declares Mpox Outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Press Release. Aug. 14, 2024.
3. EMA. Fostering Regulatory Collaboration to Improve Access to Mpox Medicines. Press Release. Oct. 25, 2024.