Call to expedite mobilisation of resources for mpox

Mpox infections have risen significantly across the world this year, with Australia registering some 905 cases so far to date, according to the National Communicable Disease Surveillance Dashboard. New South Wales and Victoria recorded the highest numbers with 483 and 314 cases, respectively.

In August 2024, the World Health Organization declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) issuing temporary recommendations to prevent and control the spread.

The WHO released the Mpox Global Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) in September to guide public health preparedness and response efforts at the global, regional, and national levels.

“The primary goal of the SPRP is to stop outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of mpox and mitigate its impact on human health through coordinated global, regional, and national efforts. This will be achieved by implementing comprehensive surveillance and response strategies, advancing research, ensuring equitable access to medical countermeasures, minimising zoonotic transmission, and empowering communities to actively participate in outbreak prevention and control,” the WHO said.

Following the PHEIC declaration, the Australian Global Health Alliance (AGHA) called on the federal government to expedite resources towards mobilisation of an effective, internationally coordinated and equitable response that will contain the mpox outbreak.

“Australia and the global health community must uphold the principles of equity and solidarity in making a meaningful contribution to a coordinated international response that will stamp this health emergency and prevent another pandemic,” AGHA said in a statement.

The AGHA called on the government to:

• Provide direct support to contain the response in the African region, including via direct vaccine contributions, and supporting lead multilateral agencies.
• Support countries in our region through preparedness, prevention and early detection of mpox — ensuring they can meet obligations in the IHR through surveillance and response; and have the means to deploy vaccines, engage priority populations at risk and respond to outbreaks. The AGHA acknowledged the important work already underway in the Pacific and South-East Asia to build pandemic-resilient health systems as part of the Australian Government’s Partnerships for a Health Region initiative.
• Support the neglected pipeline of research and development in new tools for mpox and priority pathogens with epidemic and pandemic potential, and enhance efforts to overcome bottlenecks in development and deployment of these tools globally. This is where Australian medical research can make a major contribution.
• Rapidly mobilise cross-portfolio government advisory groups, such as the Human Animal Spillover and Emerging Disease Scanning (HASEDS) group, and engage with Australia’s Mpox Taskforce, recognising the cross-portfolio nature of the response while the new Australian CDC is still being formed. Linking departments of health and foreign affairs in all countries will also be crucial for effective response.
• Support all measures to protect vulnerable people and prevent stigmatisation, particularly of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, and migrant communities in the response.
   

The current PHEIC declaration is the second time the disease has reached this level of concern. In 2022 an outbreak occurred in Europe and spread globally, affecting 111 countries before being controlled in May 2023 through rapid mobilisation and risk reduction among gay and bisexual men. This initial global outbreak is, however, ongoing with an uptick in 2024 and caused by a variant called clade II, predominantly affecting men who have sex with men and immunocompromised individuals,” said AGHA in a statement. “This second PHEIC has been triggered by the emergence of a highly infectious strain last year, clade 1b, which is of high concern as it is spread more easily to close contacts and has a higher mortality rate.¹

“The 2022–23 global mpox outbreak stemmed from the international community’s neglect and failure to respond swiftly and invest in equitable surveillance and research, despite regular outbreaks in Africa that eventually led to the disease’s spread to other continents.

“To prevent a repeat of history and learn from past lessons, we must act decisively to scale and coordinate our global efforts, working closely with the international global health community, including WHO and the Africa CDC, to support affected countries in containing the spread of this disease. Australia and the global health community must uphold the principles of equity and solidarity in making a meaningful contribution to a coordinated international response that will stamp this health emergency and prevent another pandemic,” the AGHA concluded.

^{1. https://mailchi.mp/ipppr/jointopenletter-17387515?e=[UNIQID]}

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