The World Health Organization (WHO) has called an emergency meeting to discuss a jump in mpox cases spreading from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement on Wednesday, amid an outbreak that has seen nearly 27,000 cases in the DRC and claimed about 1,100 lives, many of them children.

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Since last September, cases have surged in the central African nation due to a strain of the virus that has now been detected in its neighbouring countries.

“In light of the spread of mpox outside DRC, and the potential for further international spread within and outside Africa, I have decided to convene an Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations to advise me on whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern,” the WHO chief said in a social media post.

Ghebreyesus said he convened the meeting after cases of mpox appeared to spread to countries such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, where they had not been previously reported.

The committee will advise the WHO on the question of whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) – the highest level of alarm that the WHO can sound.

The WHO said the meeting would occur “as soon as possible”, but has yet to offer specific dates.

This colorised electron microscope image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases shows mpox particles, in red, found within an infected cell [File: NIAID via AP]

Mpox is largely spread through sexual contact and is especially prevalent among men who have sex with other men.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that mpox has been detected in 10 African nations this year, including the DRC, where more than 96 percent of all cases are located.

The agency added that cases are up 160 percent this year, with deaths increasing by 19 percent. The disease also appears especially prevalent among the young, with 70 percent of cases and 85 percent of deaths in the DRC occurring among children under the age of 15.

The WHO declared mpox, also known as monkeypox, a global emergency in 2022 after it spread to more than 70 countries.

Vaccines helped neutralise the threat in wealthy nations, but were not made adequately accessible to poor ones, making the disease harder to ultimately eradicate and underscoring the global health risks of discrepancies in vaccine access.

“We do not want the world to sit and watch and wait,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, who leads WHO’s outbreak department. “The time [to act] is now.”