The World Health Organization (WHO) has introduced a global strategy to combat the spread of Mpox from person to person. This plan, officially named the Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP), was detailed in a statement released by the WHO on Monday.
The SPRP is scheduled to run from September 2024 to February 2025 and requires $135 million in funding to be fully implemented. This extensive plan aims to strengthen efforts at global, regional, and national levels to manage and control the Mpox outbreak effectively. Key goals of the SPRP include enhancing surveillance and response capabilities, ensuring fair access to diagnostics and vaccines, curbing animal-to-human transmission, and empowering local communities to take proactive measures in controlling the outbreak.
The announcement of the SPRP follows a significant development in global health: the declaration of a public health emergency of international concern by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus on August 14. This declaration underscores the urgent need for coordinated international action and robust funding to address the crisis. To support the implementation of the SPRP, the WHO plans to launch a funding appeal in the near future.
The SPRP builds upon existing recommendations from Dr. Ghebreyesus and focuses on several key areas to enhance global preparedness. It aims to improve surveillance systems to better track the disease, implement comprehensive prevention strategies, and bolster readiness to respond to emerging cases. A significant aspect of the plan is the strategic vaccination of high-risk populations. This includes individuals who have had close contact with recent cases and healthcare workers, with the goal of breaking transmission chains and preventing further spread of the virus.
At the global level, the SPRP emphasizes strong leadership, evidence-based guidance, and ensuring that medical countermeasures are available to the most vulnerable groups in affected areas. The WHO is working in collaboration with a broad spectrum of partners, including international, regional, national, and local organizations, to enhance coordination across key areas of preparedness and response. This includes engagement with the ACT-Accelerator Principals group, the Standing Committee on Health Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response, the R&D Blueprint for Epidemics, and the interim Medical Countermeasures Network (i-MCM Net).
Overall, the SPRP represents a crucial step forward in the global effort to control Mpox and mitigate its impact on public health. Through enhanced surveillance, strategic vaccination, and comprehensive response measures, the plan aims to reduce the disease’s spread and safeguard communities worldwide.
