Remarks by WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti
Honourable Ministers, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
Welcome to this special briefing session on the Mpox public health outbreak in Africa, and updates from the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB). I appreciate your interest in both.
As WHO, we are leading global efforts to combat the ongoing Mpox public health emergency.
Two weeks ago, Dr Tedros declared the Mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its expansion to neighbouring countries a Public Health Emergency.
It’s the second time Mpox was declared a public health emergency of international concern in two years. However, this time, we face a new challenge with the latest strain - it’s moving faster, and we are seeing higher mortality among the vulnerable, including children.
To mitigate the spread and impact of Mpox, we are focusing our response efforts on countries with confirmed Mpox cases, taking proactive measures in high-risk countries within the borders of affected areas. This is a critical part of our strategy to prevent the virus’s spread across borders and contain the outbreaks before they escalate.
In affected countries, WHO has been instrumental in developing mpox treatment guidelines and extensive training programs for healthcare workers, focusing on the clinical management of mpox.
These trainings go beyond basic care—they involve identifying, treating, and caring for Mpox patients, particularly in managing severe cases and providing much-needed psychological support to patients and their families.
We are leveraging COVID-19 capacities to scale-up the Mpox response. For instance, since the COVID-19 response, all countries now have PCR testing capacities for Mpox. This week, we are collaborating with Institut Pasteur in Dakar and the West Africa Health Organization (WAHO) to conduct diagnostics and sequencing training for Mpox.
We have supported our Member States in operationalizing dedicated treatment centers and isolation units for Mpox patients and ensured that these facilities are adequately staffed, monitored, and equipped.
In addition to targeted efforts for affected Member States, we are making comprehensive arrangements to ensure that every country, regardless of its current situation, is equipped with the necessary tools, knowledge, and support to respond effectively should the need arise.
We all know we must prioritize vaccines reaching those who are most vulnerable. WHO AFRO has also been at the forefront of vaccine readiness and has developed an Mpox Vaccine Introduction Readiness Assessment Tool, which will ensure targeted vaccine deployment plans. This readiness is critical as we engage with partners, like UNICEF and Gavi, to secure vaccine access for our Member States.
Cumulatively, our efforts are geared to ensure that our response is swift and scientifically sound, enabling us to detect, diagnose, and respond to Mpox with precision.
As the region most vulnerable to public health emergencies globally, this won’t be the last time we will deal with an outbreak of such proportions. Our experience with the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the critical need for a globally coordinated response driven by regional leadership. All stakeholders must work together, but it is equally important for those closest to the outbreak to work collaboratively and ensure that the issues affecting them the most stay on policy agendas.
We ask that the needs and voices of Member States are louder, equitably represented, and heard at global forums. Only by ensuring that regional perspectives are at the forefront of decision-making can we effectively address the unique challenges we face.
For example, in the first round of funding, the Board of the Pandemic Fund approved an envelope of $338 million. While five African countries received funding, there were no successful regional or multi-country proposals from Africa. Given the continent’s vulnerability to disease outbreaks, climate disasters, and growing humanitarian crises, this outcome highlighted the need for stronger regional collaboration and advocacy to secure the necessary resources and support.
Under the aegis of the JEAP framework, WHO and Africa CDC provided technical assistance to our Member States and regional entities in designing compelling multi-country and regional proposals, with additional support to single-country proposal submissions from the continent. We hope the region is well represented as decisions are being made.
I would like to close by thanking our Member States, Africa CDC, and the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body. As the INB moves into another year of deliberations, we hope that all our Member States continue to promote equity, and that the body can balance the interests of different countries and ensure fair access to pandemic response resources.
We need collaboration across borders to work together for the greater good. Let’s end these Mpox outbreaks and reach a pandemic treaty.
Thank you.