WHO launches global plan to contain human-to-human transmission of MPOX

The World Health Organization (WHO) today launched a global strategic preparedness and response plan to stop outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of Mpox through coordinated global, regional and national efforts, following the WHO Director-General’s declaration of a public health emergency of international concern on 14 August.

The current plan is subject to input from Member States, which were informed of the plan on Friday 23 August.

The plan covers the six-month period from September 2024 to February 2025 and provides funding of US$135 million for the response of WHO, its Member States, its partners – including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), communities and researchers.

A call for donations to support WHO’s efforts to implement the plan will be launched shortly.

The plan, which builds on the WHO Director-General’s interim and standing recommendations, focuses on implementing comprehensive surveillance, prevention, preparedness and response strategies, promoting research and equitable access to medical countermeasures such as diagnostic tests and vaccines, minimizing animal-to-human transmission, and empowering communities to actively participate in outbreak prevention and control.

To break chains of transmission, strategic vaccination efforts will focus on those at highest risk, including close contacts of new infections and healthcare workers.

At the global level, the focus is on strategic leadership, timely evidence-based advice and access to medical countermeasures for the most vulnerable groups in affected countries.

WHO is working with a wide range of international, regional, national and local partners and networks to improve coordination in key areas of preparedness, preparedness and response. This includes collaboration with the ACT-Accelerator Principals Group, the Standing Committee on Health Emergencies Prevention, Preparedness and Response, the Epidemic R&D Plan and the Interim Medical Countermeasures Network (i-MCM Net).

The WHO R&D Blueprint, together with Africa CDC, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will host a virtual scientific conference on 29-30 August 2024 to align MPOX research with outbreak control goals.

The MPOX outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries can be controlled and stopped. This requires a comprehensive and coordinated action plan between international organizations and national and local partners, civil society, researchers and manufacturers, and our Member States. This SPRP provides that plan, based on the principles of equity, global solidarity, community empowerment, human rights, and cross-sectoral coordination.

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

WHO headquarters and regional offices have established crisis management support teams to lead preparedness, preparedness and response efforts, and the number of staff in affected countries is being significantly increased.

In the African Region, where the need is greatest, the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO), in collaboration with Africa CDC, will jointly lead the coordination of Mpox response efforts. WHO AFRO and Africa CDC have agreed on a unified plan with a single budget as part of the African Continental Mpox Strategic Plan for Preparedness and Response currently under preparation.

At national and subnational levels, health authorities will adapt their strategies in response to current epidemiological trends.