Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo - August 26, 2024

Officials at the 74th session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Africa have pledged further efforts including channeling more funds for and expressed optimism about curbing mpox outbreaks.

The 74th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa kicked off on Monday in Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo, and will last until Friday.

Addressing the opening ceremony, President of the Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso called on African states to form a coalition to support the "Quality in primary health care" initiative.

Nearly 1,000 delegates, including WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and health ministers from 47 WHO member countries, are attending the session, which will focus discussions on health issues concerning the African continent, with topics such as "Transformation for Results: Strengthening African Health Systems through WHO Reforms," "WHO Investment Cycle: Amplifying Africa's Voice," "Addressing the Public Health Emergency of Preventable Child Mortality in the WHO African Region" high on the agenda of the session.

The African continent has recorded high mortality rates from diseases such as malaria, measles, Ebola and cholera for decades, and the spread of a deadly strain of the mpox virus from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to at least a dozen African countries forced the WHO to declare a global emergency.

At the opening meeting, some key decision makers from international health organizations promised to provide more funds to help end outbreaks like mpox in Africa.

The DRC has recorded the highest number of mpox infections in Africa with more than 17,000 cases and over 600 deaths since the start of this year.

The African continent has been dealing with epidemics consistently for centuries, and over the years, we have developed increasing expertise in handling epidemics, so the fact that we have an mpox epidemic now should not cause people to panic, because it is in a continent that is used to dealing with this type of crisis," said Joy Phumaphi, executive secretary of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance.

The WHO on Monday launched a global drive to tackle human-to-human transmission of mpox.

The Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan will run from September 2024 to February 2025, requiring 135 million U.S. dollars in funding. By coordinating global, regional, and national efforts, it aims to enhance surveillance and response strategies, ensure equitable access to diagnostics and vaccines, reduce animal-to-human transmission, and empower communities in outbreak control.

Shotlist:
Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo - Aug 26, 2024:
1. President of Republic of the Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso posing for group photos with officials including World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus;
2. Various of meeting of 74th session of WHO Regional Committee for Africa in progress;
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa:
"I think what people should take first of all is our great determination to do something about mpox, and to do something differently from what has happened in the past. So we are working very hard in the background with the member states, we have supported many of them to develop plans.";
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Donatien Kabamb, Deputy Director, Medicine Regulatory Authority of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC):
"Our country has a huge experience in dealing with many epidemic situations, and this is one of them. I think participating in this meeting will help us to be sensitized and also to have the support of partners.";
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Joy Phumaphi, Executive Secretary, African Leaders Malaria Alliance:
"The African continent has been dealing with epidemics consistently for centuries, and over the years, we have developed increasing expertise in handling epidemics, so the fact that we have an mpox epidemic now should not cause people to panic, because it is in a continent that is used to dealing with this type of crisis.";
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo - Recent
6. Various of pedestrians, traffic;
7. Poster of mpox on wall;
8. Various of nurse giving injection to patient;
Lagos, Nigeria - Aug 20, 2024
9. Various of doctors treating patients;
10. Various of workers doing lab tests.

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