The World Health Organization (WHO) is convening an emergency committee in response to the spread of mpox outside the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the potential for further international transmission, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday.
The committee will meet "as soon as possible" to assess whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, Tedros told a press briefing in Geneva.
Since the beginning of this year, the DRC has been experiencing a severe outbreak of mpox. Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
Mpox can be transmitted to humans through direct contact with an infectious person, contaminated materials, or infected animals.
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