The World Health Organisation unveiled a response plan that will cost at least $135 million over the next six months in order to contain a new mpox outbreak and called for worldwide coordinated action.
Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus clarified, “This new mpox outbreak can be controlled and can be stopped,” during a speech to WHO member states on Friday.
On August 14, the WHO issued a global health emergency in response to the mpox outbreak in Africa. Thailand has now confirmed to be infected with mpox, following Sweden as the first nation in Europe to report a case this month.
Ten million vaccinations are required, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, to contain the outbreak. On Thursday, EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides requested information from member states regarding the number of mpox vaccinations each will provide by the end of this month.
Ghebreyesus states, “Our preliminary estimates are that the [Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan] requires approximately $135 million over the next six months for the acute phase of the outbreak to fund this work and to stop the outbreak as quickly as possible.”
