The World Health Organization (WHO) today announced a global strategic preparedness and response plan to prevent the outbreak of human-to-human transmission of MPOX through coordinated global, regional and national efforts, following the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO Director-General on August 14.
The current plan is based on input from Member States, who were briefed on the plan on Friday 23 August.
The plan covers a six-month period from September 2024 to February 2025 and estimates that US$135 million will be required for the response by WHO, Member States, partners such as the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), communities and researchers.
WHO will soon begin calling for funding to implement the plan.
The plan is based on the interim and standing recommendations issued by the WHO Director-General and focuses on implementing comprehensive surveillance, prevention, preparedness and response strategies; advancing research; equitable access to medical countermeasures such as diagnostic tests and vaccines; minimizing animal-to-human transmission; and enabling communities to actively participate in preventing and controlling the spread of infection.
Strategic vaccination efforts will focus on individuals at highest risk, such as close contacts of recent cases and healthcare workers, to break the chain of transmission.
At the global level, the focus is on strategic leadership, timely evidence-based guidance and access to medical countermeasures for the most at-risk groups in affected countries.
WHO is working with a wide range of international, regional, national and local partners and networks to strengthen collaboration in the key areas of preparedness, response and response, including with the ACT-Accelerator Principals Group, the Standing Committee on Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response, the Epidemic Research and Development Blueprint and the Interim Medical Preparedness Network (i-MCM Net).
The WHO Research and Development Blueprint, in collaboration with Africa CDC, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will host a virtual scientific meeting on 29-30 August 2024 to align MPOX research with outbreak control goals.
“The MPOX epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries is controllable and can be stopped,” said WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “To do this requires a comprehensive and coordinated plan of action among international organizations, national and local partners, civil society, researchers, manufacturers and Member States. This SPRP provides that plan, based on the principles of equity, global solidarity, community empowerment, human rights and intersectoral collaboration.”
WHO Headquarters and Regional Offices have established Incident Management Support Teams to lead preparedness and response activities and have significantly increased staff in affected countries.
In Africa, where the needs are greatest, the WHO Africa Regional Office (AFRO) will jointly lead the coordination of the MPOX response in partnership with Africa CDC. WHO AFRO and Africa CDC have agreed to a one plan, one budget approach as part of the continental MPOX strategic preparedness and response plan, which is currently being prepared.
At national and local levels, health authorities will adjust their strategies according to current epidemiological trends.
