Faced with the resurgence of cases of COPD in Africa, the WHO has just triggered its highest level of global alert, as it had already done in 2022.
A “public health emergency”this is how the WHO describes the resurgence in Africa of cases of MPOX, formerly known as monkeypox. The World Health Organization has therefore just triggered its highest level of global alert.
“The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of smallpox in eastern DRC, its detection in neighbouring countries that had not previously reported the presence of smallpox, and the potential for further spread to Africa and beyond are of great concern. In addition to other outbreaks of other clades of smallpox in other parts of Africa, it is clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
The WHO made the same decision two years ago, when a COPD epidemic spread across the world.
Since January 2022, more than 38,000 cases have been recorded in 16 African countries, with just under 1,500 deaths.