With the mpox outbreak continuing to affect the lives of millions living in African countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) has activated its new Global Health Emergency Corp, or GHEC, for the first time to offer support to local healthcare and emergency services with the goal of containing and stemming the spread of the disease.
The GHEC was started by WHO in 2023 after the poor global response to the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to globalize emergency response resources. The GHEC assists countries with low capacity for responding to public health emergencies, such as disease outbreaks, through its three pillars of emergency workforce assessments, rapid deployment of surge capacities, and establishing leadership networks.
In October 2024, the GHEC was called into action for the first time after mpox was declared a public health emergency of international concern by the WHO. GHEC is currently operating in eight of the 18 affected African countries, with most efforts focused on Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where mpox has been the most devastating.
Through its first pillar of emergency workforce assessments, the GHEC has already identified several areas of the local response effort that need improvement, including epidemiology and surveillance, risk communication, and community engagement. To strengthen these areas, GHEC is working with local governments and organizations to mobilize healthcare workers and public health experts from within Africa, expediting assistance and better engaging the local citizens affected.
World leaders from affected countries, as well as leaders from regions who have experienced mpox outbreaks in the past, convened to discuss the best steps to take next in the hardest hit areas of Africa, given past experiences with mpox and new and ongoing research. Control methods and best practices will continue to be established as the outbreak continues.
By Sarah Ortega