Mpox (previously known as monkeypox) was first declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in 2022, due to a rapidly transmitting outbreak in the WHO European Region, which then spread globally. For the first time, the virus, in this case monkeypox virus (MPXV) clade II, was observed circulating outside of endemic countries through person-to-person transmission, mainly as a result of sexual contact.
Although the PHEIC was lifted in May 2023, as case numbers declined, a subsequent upsurge of mpox and the emergence of a new clade, Ib, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its spread to neighbouring countries in 2024, led the WHO Director-General to declare a second PHEIC in August 2024, which is still ongoing.
Currently, in the WHO European Region, we are seeing more than 200 reported mpox cases a month, the vast majority being MPXV clade II affecting men who have sex with men. Since the announcement of the current PHEIC, there have been sporadic and low numbers of imported clade I cases from endemic countries.
WHO/Europe actions on mpox
In 2023, WHO/Europe, in consultation with its Member States, proposed Considerations for the control and elimination of mpox in the WHO European Region. The document provides a framework for countries to develop national 5-year action plans to sustain control and achieve elimination of mpox, including actions to be implemented to achieve and sustain the interruption of person-to-person transmission of the virus.
In the last quarter of 2024, WHO/Europe conducted a survey among its Member States, in collaboration with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, to gain insights on preparedness and readiness actions undertaken in line with the WHO standing recommendations and the WHO Strategic framework for enhancing prevention and control of mpox (2024–2027).
Purpose of the webinar
On 12 June, Member State representatives will join this webinar to discuss global and regional updates on mpox, challenges in the control and possible elimination of mpox, and the recent actions taken by WHO/Europe to better understand the situation and the responses now needed. A key part of this will be the presentation of WHO/Europe’s latest survey findings and the development of regional and country initiatives for the surveillance and control of clade I and II mpox in the Region.