The World Health Organization, or WHO, declared the spread of mpox, formerly called monkeypox, in a number of countries in Africa to be a global health emergency yesterday. The outbreak has spread through 13 countries in Africa, but is primarily concentrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has reported 15,600 mpox cases and 537 deaths so far this year. (New York Times)
Our Take
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was intense focus among observers and policymakers on the need to shore up global health infrastructure. During an emerging epidemic, preparedness and coordination becomes critical both within individual states and across borders. As such, the world’s ability to collectively respond to a health emergency was suddenly under a microscope four years ago.
And yet, despite all that focus, the WHO’s declaration yesterday underscores how little has actually been done to shore up global health infrastructure. If anything, the declaration—now the second time the spread of mpox has been deemed a global health emergency in the past three years—highlighted how much the sense of urgency on addressing the spread of diseases has subsided.