Mpox outbreaks in Africa could be ended in 6 months, WHO chief says
Associated PressSEP 2024
Since the WHO declared this an emergency in August, the global health industry has been ramping up its public health regimens. While this robust program has included both testing and treatments, roadblocks including vaccine hesitancy and lack of funding still persist. It is now paramount that every country, particularly in Africa where the virus is endemic, begin looking for flu-like symptoms and conducting mass testing and vaccinations.
Despite the confidence with which the WHO speaks about mpox, it appears the global health body is making all the same mistakes it did with COVID. We don't actually know if there are multiple strains, nor is it clear if this is an animal-to-human virus or a sexually transmitted disease. The world can't even rely on the efficacy of these emerging PCR tests, but what it can expect is for the WHO to push for experimental treatment mandates and censorship.
There is a 50% chance that there will be 27.8K confirmed cases of mpox in 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.