Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom, expressed the organisation’s concern over the rapid spread of the monkeypox virus.
During the 74th session of the WHO African Regional Committee, which began Monday in Brazzaville and is scheduled to continue until August 30, Adhanom said, “We are particularly concerned about the rapid spread of the new strain of the virus (Clade 1b), especially in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” according to Radio France Internationale’s African broadcast.
He also confirmed that, over the past few months, more than 220 cases of this specific strain have been confirmed in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, countries that had not previously recorded any cases. The Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) reported 21 cases of monkeypox at the end of last week.
In an attempt to address the rapid spread of the disease, Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso emphasized the critical role of prevention in quickly controlling it, saying: “Disease carriers do not recognize borders. They move easily and swiftly, so prevention through vaccines is the best way to control them.”
During this session, the WHO African Regional Committee selected a new director to succeed Matshidiso Moeti from Botswana, who had served as the head of the organization for 10 years.
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