The World Health Organization (HWO) has revealed a $135mn joint plan the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to halt the spread of mpox after declaring it a global health emergency that covers the six-month period until February 2025.

Ongoing mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) – considered to be ‘ground zero’, where more than 21,300 cases have been recorded along with nearly 600 deaths – and neighbouring countries can be contained but with sufficient aid and a coordinated effort, according to the UN agency.

“Doing so requires a comprehensive and coordinated plan of action between international agencies and national and local partners, civil society, researchers and manufacturers, and our Member States,” WHO director-general Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus wrote on Monday (August 26) in a news release.

Formerly known as monkeypox, mpox is a viral disease that can spread through close contact and contaminated materials such as sheets and needles, according to WHO. It causes flu-like symptoms as well as lesions filled with pus. While usually mild, it can be fatal.

The mpox variant that prompted the global health emergency declaration is believed to be more contagious and deadlier than previous variants, including the clade 2 strain that was responsible for the global outbreak that began in 2022.

WHO member states are expected to offer insights after receiving a briefing Friday on the plan, which Ghebreyesus said will be based on “the principles of equity, global solidarity, community empowerment, human rights, and coordination across sectors”.

This plan will build on temporary recommendations by WHO and focus on implementing “comprehensive surveillance, prevention, readiness and response strategies” to help with advancing research and equitable access to medical countermeasures such as diagnostic tests and vaccines, seek to minimise animal-to-human transmission, and empower communities to “actively participate in outbreak prevention and control”.

It would cover a six-month period beginning in September through February of next year, as the WHO envisions the global response effort will cost about $135mn. A fundraising appeal will be made shortly to member states.

Meanwhile, the DRC says it no longer expects to receive its first delivery of mpox vaccines this week as global health authorities say the spread of the virus can still be contained.

On August 19, the Congolese health minister had expressed optimism that the central African country could start receiving vaccine deliveries shortly after promises of assistance from Japan and the United States.