WHO unveils Strategic Plan to curb Mpox spread

SWITZERLAND – In an effort to stop the spread of mpox through human-to-human transmission, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has initiated a comprehensive worldwide Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP).

 The WHO has pledged to coordinate national, regional, and international efforts to combat the current outbreak as part of this program.

The notification was made on August 14, the same day that the Director-General of the WHO declared a public health emergency of worldwide concern.

After a briefing for stakeholders on August 23, Member States can now provide feedback on the recently presented plan, which runs from September 2024 to February 2025.

An estimated  US$ 87.4 million in funding is required by WHO, Member States, partners including the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), communities, and researchers to carry out the strategy in an efficient manner.

Building upon the WHO Director-General’s interim and permanent recommendations, the SPRP identifies a number of critical strategies.

These include comprehensive surveillance, prevention, readiness, and response initiatives; the advancement of research and equitable access to essential medical countermeasures such as diagnostic tests and vaccines; the minimization of animal-to-human transmission; and the empowerment of communities to play active roles in outbreak prevention and control.

To disrupt the chains of transmission, targeted vaccination campaigns will focus especially on those most at risk, such as healthcare personnel and close contacts of recent cases.

The plan prioritises timely evidence-based guidance, strategic leadership, and providing medical countermeasures to the most vulnerable people in afflicted countries at the global level.

In order to improve coordination in all crucial areas of readiness, preparedness, and response, WHO is working with a wide range of global, regional, national, and local partners and networks.

This includes engagement with groups such as the ACT-Accelerator Principals, the Standing Committee on Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response, the R&D Blueprint for Epidemics, and the interim Medical Counter Measures Network (i-MCM Net).

To further align research efforts with outbreak control goals, WHO, in partnership with Africa CDC, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will host a virtual scientific conference on August 29-30, 2024.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed optimism about controlling and eventually halting the mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries.

He emphasized that achieving this goal requires a comprehensive and coordinated action plan involving international agencies, national and local partners, civil society, researchers, manufacturers, and Member States.

Dr. Ghebreyesus highlighted that the SPRP embodies this plan, rooted in the principles of equity, global solidarity, community empowerment, human rights, and cross-sector coordination.

To lead preparedness, readiness, and response activities, WHO headquarters and regional offices have established incident management support teams, which are being scaled up significantly in affected countries.

In the Africa Region, where the need is most urgent, the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) will collaborate with Africa CDC to jointly spearhead the coordination of mpox response efforts.

Both organizations have agreed on a unified “one-plan, one-budget” approach, which will be a cornerstone of the Africa Continental Mpox Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan, currently under development.

At the national and sub-national levels, health authorities are expected to adapt their strategies in response to evolving epidemiological trends.

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