The WHO mpox public health emergency of international concern declaration: Need for reprioritisation of global public health responses to combat the MPXV Clade I epidemic

On 14 August 2024, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) 1. This came only one year after the end of the 10-month long emergency state in 2022/2023, and day after the continental declaration of mpox as a public health security concern 2. In the year leading to the current declaration, the global burden of mpox cases and associated deaths has grown significantly.