On 14 August 2024, WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus upon the advice of the IHR Emergency Committee declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Regulations (2005) (IHR).
In declaring the PHEIC, Dr Tedros said, “The emergency of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying. On top of outbreaks of another mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”
WHO is keeping Member States informed of the situation and advice on the coordinated international action to support countries to prevent history from repeating itself since the global outbreak in 2022.
Today, the WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific is calling a meeting for the Member States in the coming week regarding the outbreak.
Anyone from the Cook Islands traveling to DRC or to any African country is advised to take precautionary measures against the spread of a new sexually transmissible strain of the monkeypox virus.
Meitaki,
Bob Williams
Secretary of Health.