The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a six-month plan to curb the outbreaks of mpox transmission.
The US$135-million plan, which will start rolling next month until February of next year, includes increasing staffing in affected countries and enhancing surveillance, prevention and response strategies.
WHO added that it specifically aims to boost fair access to vaccines in African countries hardest hit by the mpox outbreaks.
“The mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries can be controlled, and can be stopped,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement.
The agency classified the current mpox outbreak as a global health emergency in mid-August. Congo, the hardest hit, recorded over 1,000 new cases last week.
Related story: WHO declares mpox outbreaks in Africa a global health emergency
The African Centers for Disease Control reported that as of Thursday, there have been more than 21,300 suspected or confirmed mpox cases and 590 deaths this year in 12 African countries.
