The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday, August 15, 2024, declared the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency following the rapid spread of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) and other countries in Africa. The WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, explained that the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR). In declaring the PHEIC, Dr. Tedros said, "The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in the eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying.