WHO Urges Europe to Unite Against Mpox, Support Africa in Vaccine Access

In a call to action, the World Health Organization (WHO) is urging European governments to take a strong stance against mpox and show solidarity with Africa in the fight against the viral disease. Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, emphasized that mpox is not the “new COVID” and poses a low risk to the general population.

While acknowledging the recent spread of mpox clade 1 in Africa and its detection in Sweden, Kluge highlighted the success of Europe’s response to the 2022 outbreak, which was brought under control through community engagement, public health action, and vaccination.

However, he noted that Europe failed to eliminate the disease entirely and is still seeing around 100 new cases of mpox clade 2 every month. Kluge urged European health authorities to strengthen their focus on clade 2 and eliminate it once and for all.

The WHO official also stressed the need for European solidarity with Africa, particularly in ensuring equitable access to vaccines. With the MVA-BN, LC16, and ACAM2000 vaccines recommended for use against mpox, Kluge emphasized the importance of vaccine sharing and support for African countries.

As the fight against mpox continues, the WHO is calling on European governments to take a proactive approach, support vaccine access, and work together to defeat the disease.”