Mpox outbreaks in Africa—we must avert another failure of global solidarity

On 13 August 2024, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) declared the ongoing mpox outbreak a public health emergency of continental security.1 This outbreak is driven by the emergence of a new clade 1b variant that is better adapted to human-to-human transmission. On 14 August, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the current outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005).2Amid another widespread epidemic is another unfolding story of vaccine inequity, and yet another looming failure of global solidarity. We have seen this before, and it does not end well for anyone.3Will we repeat the same mistakes?Having observed covid-19 and previous epidemics, we have every reason to worry that high income nations will make the same mistakes again—from vaccine hoarding to unfair travel bans and anti-Black racism.456 We are concerned that the rest of the world will once again…
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