00:00Last week, I announced that I was convening an emergency committee under the international
00:07health regulations to evaluate the upsurge of MPOCs in the Democratic Republic of the
00:13Congo and other countries in Africa.
00:18Today, the emergency committee met and advised me that, in its view, the situation constitutes
00:26a public emergency of international concern.
00:30I have accepted that advice.
00:33The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of MPOCs in eastern DRC, its detection in
00:40neighboring countries that had not previously reported MPOCs, and the potential for further
00:46spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying.
00:51In addition to other outbreaks of other clades of MPOCs in other parts of Africa, it is clear
00:58that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save
01:04lives.
01:05A public emergency of international concern is the highest level of alarm under international
01:11health law.
01:13The emergency committee advised me and that of the African CDC Centers for Disease Control
01:20and Prevention, which yesterday declared a public emergency of regional security, are
01:27aligned.
01:28WHO is on the ground, working with the affected countries and others at risk through our country
01:35and regional offices, as well as with partners including the African CDC, NGOs, civil society
01:43and more.
Comments