Mpox scare: WHO Seeks $135 Million as It Launches Global Response Plan

The World Health Organization has launched a preparedness and response plan aimed at coordinating efforts to contain a lethal outbreak of mpox that’s become a global health emergency.

The WHO is seeking $135 million that will cover the first six months of the plan starting September, it said in a statement Monday.

The move underpins efforts by the agency and its partners to stop chains of human-to-human mpox transmission. Cases of the disease are ripping through central Africa, killing hundreds and infecting thousands.

Funds will be used to improve surveillance and diagnostics, helping scientists get a better grasp of how the virus has changed and what exactly is driving the spread. Money raised will also help countries plan response strategies, minimize animal-to-human transmission and get vaccines, according to the statement.

While Africa is the only continent where the disease is endemic, it didn’t receive vaccines for the virus in 2022 when the infectious illness spread around the world. It’s also yet to secure shots for the newly mutated version that’s been assigned the WHO’s highest level of alert.

The WHO has so far dipped into its contingency fund for emergencies to begin the process of dealing with this outbreak, Michael Ryan, the agency’s executive director for Health Emergencies, said earlier this month.

It has also hosted talks for more than a year to develop a pandemic treaty where all the member states contribute. The treaty would ensure equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics for treatment.

“Where we lose is where there isn’t that political commitment, where there’s confusion, where there’s lack of coordination,” he said in a briefing on Aug. 7.