UN health agency convenes experts to assess if mpox outbreak in Africa is a global emergency
Officials at the Africa CDC said nearly 70 per cent of cases in Congo are in children younger than 15, who also accounted for 85 per cent of deaths. Mpox was reported last week in Burundi and Rwanda for the first time while other countries including Kenya and the Central African Republic also identified cases.
WHO chief Ghebreyesus convenes emergency committee to assess threats posed by mpox outbreak
An emergency committee is made up of international experts who provide technical advice and recommendations to the WHO chief about whether a disease outbreak is a “public health emergency of international concern” – the agency’s highest level of alert. The final decision is made by the director general.
