WHO Calls for Donations after Declaring Mpox a 'Health Emergency'
2024-08-20
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1The World Health Organization is calling for donations to fight the latest outbreak of the viral disease mpox in Africa.
2The U.N. health agency declared mpox in Africa a "public health emergency of international concern" last week.
3The director-general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made the announcement after a meeting of the WHO's emergency committee.
4The move follows a declaration by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
5That organization declared mpox a public health emergency in Africa one day earlier.
6The WHO said there have been more than 14,000 cases and more than 524 deaths in Africa this year.
7So far, about 96 percent of all cases and deaths have taken place in one country: the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
8But the WHO and others are concerned that a new version of the viral disease could spread more easily among people.
9The Associated Press recently reported some of the information known about the current mpox outbreak.
10Mpox is also known as monkeypox.
11The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the viral disease was first identified by scientists in 1958 when outbreaks of a "pox-like" disease appeared in monkeys.
12Until recently, most human cases involved people in central and West Africa who had contact with infected animals.
13In 2022, experts confirmed that the virus could be spread through sex.
14Outbreaks were reported in more than 70 countries that had not reported the disease before.
15Mpox belongs to the same virus family as smallpox.
16It causes symptoms like high body temperature, chills and body pain.
17People with serious cases can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and sex organs.
18The number of cases has increased sharply in the last few weeks.
19The Africa CDC said the disease has been identified in at least 13 African countries.
20Compared to the same period last year, the agency said cases have increased by 160 percent and deaths by 19 percent.
21The version of mpox seen in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could kill up to 10 percent of people infected.
22Unlike earlier mpox outbreaks, where lesions were mostly seen on the chest, hands and feet, the new form of mpox causes less severe symptoms.
23This could make the disease harder to identify.
24The WHO said mpox was recently reported for the first time in four East African countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
25All of those cases were linked to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
26In the Ivory Coast and South Africa, health officials have reported a less dangerous version of mpox than the one that spread in 2022.
27The WHO's emergency declaration is meant to get donors to provide money for a campaign against the disease.
28African CDC Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya said the agency's declaration of a public emergency was meant "to mobilize our institutions, our collective will and our resources."
29Michael Marks teaches medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
30He said, "It is clear that current control strategies aren't working and there is a clear need for more resources."
31Most of the cases during the 2022 outbreak of the viral disease were gay and bisexual men.
32The virus was spread through close contact and sex.
33Although similar things are happening in Africa, children under the age of 15 now make up more than 70 percent of mpox cases and 85 percent of deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
34WHO chief Tedros said officials are dealing with several outbreaks and, what he called, "different modes of transmission and different levels of risk."
35Greg Ramm is with the aid group Save the Children. He said his organization is worried about mpox spreading in crowded refugee camps.
36He said there were 345,000 children living in unhealthy conditions in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
37Ramm added that the country's health system is already "collapsing" because of malnutrition, measles and cholera.
38Dr. Boghuma Titanji is an infectious disease expert at Emory University in the American state of Georgia.
39She said it is unclear why the disease is mostly affecting children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
40She said children might become infected more easily or social conditions like overcrowding or infected parents might explain the problem.
41The AP says in 2022, developed countries stopped the outbreak of mpox with treatments and vaccines.
42But few vaccines are available in Africa.
43Marks said the immunization would likely help - including vaccination against the similar smallpox virus.
44He said, "We need a large supply of vaccine so that we can vaccinate populations most at risk."
45He said that would mean vaccinating children, sex workers and adults in affected areas.
46The WHO has already released $1.45 million of emergency money for mpox.
47But the U.N. agency says $15 million is needed to start efforts to combat the disease.
48I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1The World Health Organization is calling for donations to fight the latest outbreak of the viral disease mpox in Africa. 2The U.N. health agency declared mpox in Africa a "public health emergency of international concern" last week. 3The director-general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made the announcement after a meeting of the WHO's emergency committee. The move follows a declaration by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). That organization declared mpox a public health emergency in Africa one day earlier. 4The WHO said there have been more than 14,000 cases and more than 524 deaths in Africa this year. So far, about 96 percent of all cases and deaths have taken place in one country: the Democratic Republic of the Congo. But the WHO and others are concerned that a new version of the viral disease could spread more easily among people. 5The Associated Press recently reported some of the information known about the current mpox outbreak. 6What is mpox? 7Mpox is also known as monkeypox. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the viral disease was first identified by scientists in 1958 when outbreaks of a "pox-like" disease appeared in monkeys. Until recently, most human cases involved people in central and West Africa who had contact with infected animals. 8In 2022, experts confirmed that the virus could be spread through sex. Outbreaks were reported in more than 70 countries that had not reported the disease before. 9Mpox belongs to the same virus family as smallpox. It causes symptoms like high body temperature, chills and body pain. People with serious cases can develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and sex organs. 10What is happening in Africa? 11The number of cases has increased sharply in the last few weeks. The Africa CDC said the disease has been identified in at least 13 African countries. Compared to the same period last year, the agency said cases have increased by 160 percent and deaths by 19 percent. 12The version of mpox seen in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could kill up to 10 percent of people infected. Unlike earlier mpox outbreaks, where lesions were mostly seen on the chest, hands and feet, the new form of mpox causes less severe symptoms. This could make the disease harder to identify. 13The WHO said mpox was recently reported for the first time in four East African countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. All of those cases were linked to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the Ivory Coast and South Africa, health officials have reported a less dangerous version of mpox than the one that spread in 2022. 14The WHO's declaration 15The WHO's emergency declaration is meant to get donors to provide money for a campaign against the disease. 16African CDC Director General Dr. Jean Kaseya said the agency's declaration of a public emergency was meant "to mobilize our institutions, our collective will and our resources." 17Michael Marks teaches medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He said, "It is clear that current control strategies aren't working and there is a clear need for more resources." 18What is different from 2022? 19Most of the cases during the 2022 outbreak of the viral disease were gay and bisexual men. The virus was spread through close contact and sex. 20Although similar things are happening in Africa, children under the age of 15 now make up more than 70 percent of mpox cases and 85 percent of deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 21WHO chief Tedros said officials are dealing with several outbreaks and, what he called, "different modes of transmission and different levels of risk." 22Greg Ramm is with the aid group Save the Children. He said his organization is worried about mpox spreading in crowded refugee camps. He said there were 345,000 children living in unhealthy conditions in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ramm added that the country's health system is already "collapsing" because of malnutrition, measles and cholera. 23Dr. Boghuma Titanji is an infectious disease expert at Emory University in the American state of Georgia. She said it is unclear why the disease is mostly affecting children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. She said children might become infected more easily or social conditions like overcrowding or infected parents might explain the problem. 24How might mpox be stopped 25The AP says in 2022, developed countries stopped the outbreak of mpox with treatments and vaccines. But few vaccines are available in Africa. 26Marks said the immunization would likely help - including vaccination against the similar smallpox virus. He said, "We need a large supply of vaccine so that we can vaccinate populations most at risk." He said that would mean vaccinating children, sex workers and adults in affected areas. 27The WHO has already released $1.45 million of emergency money for mpox. But the U.N. agency says $15 million is needed to start efforts to combat the disease. 28I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 29Maria Cheng and Christina Malkia reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter, Jr. adapted it for VOA Learning English. 30_______________________________________________ 31Words in This Story 32mode -n. a way that something happens 33transmission -n. (medical) the process of spreading or infecting 34mobilize -v. to cause people to take part in an effort or campaign 35lesions -n. (medical) an area of infected skin that is usually swollen, red, bleeding or releasing fluid 36symptoms -n. signs that an infection is present 37institutions -n. a large organization that has been established for a long time 38We want to hear from you. 39Our comment policy is here.