Donors making a difference: United against mpox, swift and effective response in action

The escalating mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other countries was declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on 14 August 2024.

Over 120 countries have confirmed more than 106 000 cases of mpox since the onset of the global outbreak in 2022. In 2024 alone, there were 25 237 suspected and confirmed cases and 723 deaths from different outbreaks in 15 countries of the African Region (based on data from 8 September 2024).

Recommendations issued on the advice of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee asked States Parties to ensure "equitable access to safe, effective and quality-assured countermeasures for mpox."

Donors have stepped up quickly to support WHO's efforts to ensure global health security with public health interventions, vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.

Innovating while delivering - a new access-and-allocation mechanism for vaccines, treatments, tests

^{A 3-week-old girl suffering from mpox in the emergency room at Kavumu Hospital in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on 30 August, 2024. The girl's mother said she had been at the hospital for almost two weeks with little improvement in her daughter's condition due to a lack of medication. Credit:WHO/Guerchom Ndebo}

With the recent surge in mpox cases, coupled with the limited availability of vaccines and other medical countermeasures, a collaborative and transparent process to distribute critical resources fairly was urgently needed. In coordination with Member States, WHO and partners have established the Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM) for mpox medical countermeasures including vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tests.

Over 3.6 million doses of vaccines have been pledged for the mpox response. This includes 620 000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine pledged to affected countries by the European Commission including Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Spain, and the European Commission Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), and the United States of America, as well as vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic. Japan has pledged 3 million doses of the LC16 vaccine, the largest number of doses pledged so far.

Read more about the collaborative efforts to respond to mpox

i-MCM-Net Access and Allocation Mechanism (AAM)

Along with WHO, the AAM for mpox includes members of the interim Medical Countermeasures Network (i-MCM-Net): the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, the EU's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, FIND, Gavi, the PAHO Revolving Fund, UNICEF, Unitaid and others.

Africa CDC and WHO joint continental plan to scale up mpox outbreak response

^{Patients at Kavumu Hospital in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo, on 31 August 2024. Staff say that the health facility is overwhelmed with mpox patients and lacks adequate medicines and protective equipment for health workers. Credit: WHO/Guerchom Ndebo}

In a bold effort to strengthen and accelerate the response, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and WHO launched a joint mpox Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan for Africa to support countries' efforts to curb the spread of the virus, save, and protect lives.

The overall estimated budget for the six-month plan, from September 2024 to February 2025, is close to US$ 600 million with 55% allocated to mpox response in the 15 affected Member States and readiness in 15 other Member States, while 45% is directed towards operational and technical support through implementing partners.

The plan includes measures to strengthen surveillance, laboratory detection, case management, infection prevention and control (IPC), vaccination, risk communications and community engagement (RCCE), and research and innovation. The continental response has workstreams led by key partners, leveraging their comparative advantages. WHO and Africa CDC will collaborate with stakeholders, including UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and civil society, for relevant pillars of the response. The mpox response will follow the "one team, one plan, one budget, one monitoring and evaluation (M&E)" approach. To that end, a continental Incident Management Team has been established, comprising members from key partners.

Visit the WHO AFRO website to learn more about the joint response plan for mpox in Africa

WHO also updated the global Strategic Preparedness and Response plan to align with the continental plan, and to account for Member States' input.

WHO expands field response capacity to curb mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

^{Tresor, a health worker, checks on two-year-old Ibrahim, who is being treated for mpox, at the Nyiragongo General Referral Hospital, north of Goma in the DRC on 14 August 2024. Credit: WHO/Guerchom Ndebo}

In addition to deployments of headquarter and regional office experts to affected countries, more than 300 WHO disease surveillance and outbreak response experts supporting the polio eradication efforts in DRC have been integrated into mpox outbreak control efforts as WHO scales up support to the country to effectively address the ongoing public health emergency.

Mpox has been reported from 15 African countries so far this year. DRC accounts for 90% of all cases, with more than 25 000 suspected cases and 800 deaths reported to date this year. DRC has received more than 200 000 mpox vaccine doses, with more doses on their way. WHO is working with partners like Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and UNICEF, through the interim medical countermeasures network, to enable urgently needed vaccine donations from countries with existing stockpiles.

Find out about WHO's support to DRC on the webpage of WHO's Country Office

WHO delivers 47 metric tonnes of medical supplies to the Democratic Republic of the Congo

On 20 September 2024, in its largest air cargo shipment to the African region this year, WHO delivered 33.5 metric tonnes of emergency medical supplies and equipment to the Democratic Republic of the Congo to reinforce mpox outbreak response.

The delivery follows an initial shipment of more than 14 metric tonnes of emergency supplies to the country 2 weeks previously to support infection prevention and control, and clinical care measures in the ongoing outbreak. The two shipments will contribute significantly to infection prevention and treatment services in the country for the next 3 months.

^{On 7 September 2024, WHO delivered 14 metric tonnes of medical supplies and equipment to the DRC to support IPC and case management for the ongoing response to halt the mpox outbreak. Credit: WHO/Junior Diatezua}

The medical equipment and supplies will also be delivered to laboratories as well as district and referral health facilities to provide care for other medical conditions.

Efforts are also being ramped up to strengthen national diagnostic capacities by providing testing kits, reagents and machines to decentralize testing in eight laboratories.

Read more about WHO support to the DRC's response to mpox

Enhancing mpox surveillance in South Sudan

^{Laboratory professionals at the National Public Health Laboratory in Juba play a crucial role in combating mpox. Credit: WHO/South Sudan}

With generous support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), WHO has procured advanced polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing kits to aid mpox detection. These kits equip the National Public Health Laboratory with essential tools to rapidly test and enhance detection of the virus.

USAID Acting Mission Director, Yohannes Araya, emphasized "The United States of America is committed to Global Health Security and improving the health of the people of South Sudan. We are pleased to partner with WHO to deliver these important mpox testing supplies to halt the spread of mpox."

By utilizing high-performance PCR kits, responses to viral outbreaks are more efficient. This strategic investment is not just reactive but a proactive measure toward a safer future.

Read more about how USAID's support to WHO is enhancing mpox surveillance in South Sudan

Burundi responds to mpox with mobile outreach in affected communities

As part of the mpox rapid intervention team (RIT) response in Burundi, WHO and Burundi MoH introduced a mobile laboratory to increase the country's sample collection and diagnostics

To put an end to the mpox outbreak in Burundi, the Ministry of Public Health, with the support of WHO, UNICEF, and USAID, is developing a national protocol for the management of the disease.

^{Credit: WHO/Burundi}

As part of the response, and with support from WHO, a mobile laboratory (image above) is operating from the hospital in the northern district of Kamenge, the most affected district with 44% of cases nationwide. The mobile laboratory increases sample collection and analyses to shorten the time it takes to return results to rapidly treat cases.

Through a series of workshops organized by Burundi's Public Health Emergency Operations Centre with the support of WHO and USAID, 245 members of rapid intervention teams (RIT) attended briefing sessions on tracing and monitoring cases and the early management of mpox to break the chain of transmission.

The teams now play a front-line role in the mpox response, through notification of alerts and transmission of data in real time.

"KoboCollect is revolutionizing our fight against mpox in Burundi. Thanks to this training, we have mastered this tool for a rapid response through the prompt deployment of trained RITs: we are stopping the spread of the epidemic in Burundi," said Dr Ange Nsabiyumva, RIT Member of the Matana health district.

Read more on WHO Burundi's X feed

South Africa makes strides to contain mpox

As the wider African region experiences an upsurge in mpox cases, South Africa's multi-pronged efforts to bring the outbreak under control are bearing fruit. The National Department of Health formed an mpox Incident Management Team comprising experts from national and provincial levels and partners including WHO. With WHO support, health authorities conducted two remote webinars on clinical management of mpox cases, training over 500 health workers and public health professionals.

^{"WHO remains committed to supporting health authorities in containing the mpox outbreak through coordinated efforts in treatment, surveillance, and public awareness," says Dr Fabian Ndenzako, acting WHO Representative in South Africa. "I am pleased to see mpox control efforts targeting health workers, community members and key risk populations to prevent further transmission and manage this public health issue effectively." Credit: WHO/South Africa}

"With the support of partners including WHO, we have made significant progress in our efforts to contain mpox in the country," says Foster Mohale, spokesperson for South Africa's National Department of Health.

South Africa is amongst the countries to be financially supported by the Africa CDC and WHO from September 2024 - February 2025 to draw up and roll out plans, including vaccination strategies, to continue its fight against mpox.

Read more about South Africa's multipronged response to control mpox

Health development partners commit to support Uganda's mpox response

Ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in Uganda have committed to provide support for the Government of Uganda in taking actions during the ongoing mpox outbreak.

As part of the country's response, Uganda's Ministry of Health developed a multisectoral mpox preparedness and response plan (July 2024-June 2025) worth USD 6.57 million (UGX 24 billion).

Speaking on behalf of the ambassadors and heads of mission accredited to Uganda, H.E. Hans Von Schroeder, Deputy Ambassador at the German Embassy in Uganda, expressed confidence in Uganda's ability to control the outbreak. "The experience of Uganda and its partners during COVID-19 and the Ebola virus disease gives us confidence in the country's ability to keep mpox at bay," he stated. The partners who attended the meeting were from the embassies of the EU Humanitarian office ECHO and the EU CDC, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, India, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Japan, Republic of Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America (USAID).

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uganda, Ms Susan Namondo Ngongi, reaffirmed the United Nations' unwavering support to Uganda's efforts to combat mpox, to ensure that the country emerges stronger and more resilient from the outbreak.

Visit the web page of the WHO Country Office in Uganda to read more about the multipartner support

^{Francine, who is being treated for suspected mpox, lies on a bed at the Nyiragongo General Referral Hospital, north of Goma in DRC, on 14 August 2024. Credit: WHO/Guerchom Ndebo}

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WHO's work is made possible through all contributions of our Member States and partners. WHO thanks all donor countries, governments, organizations and individuals who are contributing to the Organization's work, with special appreciation for those who provide fully flexible contributions to maintain a strong, independent WHO.

With this story, we also especially thank all our donors who support our emergencies work and the i-mcm-net#aam initiative.

Donors and partners featured in this story include:

Donors so far are: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, European Commission Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), France, Germany, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, Poland, Spain, and the United States of America, as well as Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and vaccine manufacturers Bavarian Nordic and Emergent BioSolutions™ (the manufacturer of the vaccine ACAM2000, that pledged in late August 50 000 vaccine doses).

Partners include Africa CDC, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (Gavi), European Commission HERA, PAHO Revolving Fund, United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and Unitaid.

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