America, the leader of the free world, is once again hellbent on abdicating its global leadership responsibilities. Donald Trump is back, and so is his signature foreign policy move—cutting the US off from some key global organisations. He has, just like during his first term, decided that the World Health Organisation (WHO) doesn’t deserve US funding anymore. His reason is the same as before: the WHO did not act right during the Covid-19 pandemic and that it’s bent more favourably towards China. 

The American contribution to WHO in 2024 was $950 million. This was nearly 15% of the organisation’s budget, making it the largest single donor out of 194 member countries. So, when Trump pulls out, it’s not just a dent—it’s a crater in the organisation’s budget. 

The WHO is funded through two primary sources: assessed contributions, which are mandatory dues paid by the 194 member countries, calculated on factors like a country’s wealth and population, and voluntary contributions, which come from member states, private individuals, philanthropic organisations and other partners. A significant portion of the WHO’s budget relies on voluntary contributions, chiefly the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which provides substantial funding to support various global health initiatives. In fact, the Gates Foundation has pledged to continue to contribute to global health causes.

A Billion-Dollar Challenge To Trump

The WHO, worried but not surprised like last time, has politely asked Trump to reconsider his decision. It says it “plays a crucial role in protecting the health and security of the world’s people, including Americans, by addressing the root causes of disease, building stronger health systems, and detecting, preventing and responding to health emergencies, including disease outbreaks, often in dangerous places where others cannot go”.

There has been a global backlash to the US move. But this one should put the country to shame: a member of WHO staff has embarked on a campaign to raise $1 billion through crowdfunding—just enough to cover what the US contributed in 2024. So far, donations have been only trickling in—ordinary citizens of the world are paying from $1 to $4,000 per person. It’s a noble gesture, a show of defiance against Trump, but let’s be honest. It’s like climbing Mount Everest. The symbolism, though, is powerful. The message to Trump is clear.

The WHO is no stranger to both applause and outrage. It vaccinated over 90% of children in Gaza against polio—commendable indeed, considering it accomplished the feat during the ongoing war in Gaza. It battled the Ebola virus in conflict zones where even armies feared to tread. It has led global vaccination drives that have saved millions of lives. But it has its share of shortcomings and failures too: it botched the early COVID-19 response, hesitating to call out China when the virus first spread, it has been accused of bureaucratic delays that cost lives during major health crises, and though it has launched internal reforms since the end of the pandemic, they are not enough. 

Ironically, Trump’s executive order to cripple WHO financially to further his cause of pushing the “America First” agenda may prove counterproductive. By walking away from global commitments, Trump might be winning cheers from his MAGA base, but he doesn’t realise that when the next global health crisis hits, his country might find itself very much alone. And for a country that was once the leader of the free world, that’s quite a downgrade.

Also, what should be more worrying for the US is the possibility that Trump’s action may just open up space for China to step in to fill the gap. Last time Trump pulled this stunt, China rushed in, pledging to increase its voluntary contributions to the WHO. This time, Beijing is still weighing its options.

An Ever-Growing China

The US exiting the WHO and other global agreements and institutions under Trump’s “America First” policy is going to create a power vacuum, which China is sure to quickly move to fill. If this trend continues, Beijing will feel that it would gain the ability to reshape international norms, setting rules that favour its economic, political and ideological interests.

There’s proof to back this. But first let’s look at which treaties and organisations Trump got out of during his first term that led to the US retreating from global leadership: 

• World Health Organization (2020): The US left it amid the COVID-19 pandemic, accusing it of being too China-centric
• Paris Climate Accord (2017): The US claimed that it unfairly burdened the US while allowing China to pollute.
• Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) (2018): America’s exit led to Iran’s renewed nuclear activity and increased West Asia tensions.
• Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) (2017): The US cancelled a major trade pact designed to counter China’s dominance in Asia.
• UNESCO & UN Human Rights Council (2018): The American withdrawal was due to claims of bias against the US and Israel
• Arms Control Treaties: The US withdrew from the INF Treaty with Russia, increasing global arms race risks
• NATO & G7 Threats: Trump repeatedly threatened to withdraw from NATO, weakening confidence in the alliance

Each of these exits did not necessarily weaken the organisations themselves, but they certainly led to massive uncertainties. Some might argue it reduced US influence and allowed China to step in an effort to fill the leadership vacuum.

Did China Gain From US Withdrawals? 

When Trump cut WHO funding in 2020, China stepped up, committing $50 million more to fill the gap. Though the increased amount was far below the US contributions, it allowed Beijing to increase its influence in the organisation, block investigations into COVID-19 origins, and promote its vaccines globally. When Trump withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord, China became the climate leader in climate discussions. Beijing now portrays itself as greener than the US, despite being the world’s largest polluter. Similarly, after Trump unilaterally left the Iran Nuclear Deal, China strengthened ties with Tehran. It also increased oil imports from Iran and expanded economic ties, undermining US sanctions.

Moreover, when Trump withdrew, rather foolishly, from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), China joined the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), now the world’s largest trade pact—without the US being a part of it. The result is that the Asian countries now trade more with China than the US. 

China Sets The Agenda

China secured key leadership roles in UN agencies such as the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which governs internet standards. It uses these positions to push for global acceptance of Chinese tech models, such as surveillance-based governance.

The more Trump withdraws from global agreements and institutions in the name of the “America First” campaign, the weaker it makes his country, because someone else takes its leadership role. That someone else, in this case, will be none other than China. By enhancing its contributions to a large extent, it will surely set global economic rules, trade investment policies favouring state-owned enterprises, and Chinese dominance. It could control global health governance by prioritising Chinese interests, influencing pandemic response and vaccine policies. It will try to shape digital and internet rules by expanding China’s alleged authoritarian “cyber sovereignty” model, limiting online freedoms.

China will expand military alliances by strengthening BRICS and China-led military partnerships to counter US alliances. It will try to dominate climate policies by controlling carbon markets and green technologies while holding the West accountable for emissions.

China Can Be Checkmated

There is still time for influential countries like India and European nations to step up, support the WHO more and prevent China from assuming a dominant decision-making role. Rather than allowing Beijing to expand its influence unchecked, member countries must collectively address WHO’s funding and governance challenges. Mid-sized economies like India and Brazil, along with developed nations, such as the UK, Germany and France, should increase their contributions to maintain a balanced and effective WHO. The organisation’s past success in eradicating smallpox—one of humanity’s greatest achievements—demonstrates that global health cooperation can transcend political divides to protect everyone.

As for the US, I wonder, does MAGA truly make America stronger, or does it isolate the country while China fills the void in global institutions? With each withdrawal—from WHO to climate agreements and beyond—Trump’s America retreats from leadership, leaving a power vacuum that Beijing is eager to exploit. Are we heading towards “America First” or “America Alone”?

(Syed Zubair Ahmed is a London-based senior Indian journalist with three decades of experience with the Western media)

Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author

‘Donald Trump’s return to the White House could accelerate the weakening of the normative authority of multilateral institutions’ 
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Donald Trump’s second term as President of the United States marks the start of a new ‘Trumpian’ era, defined by his leadership. Foreign policy experts expect that Mr. Trump will continue to embody the image of a disruptor. The international legal order is expected to experience substantial changes.

As the leading global power of our time, the U.S. has always maintained a complicated relationship with international law. The U.S. has played a vital role in establishing many key institutions and frameworks within international law, as well as in shaping their norms, priorities and agendas to align with American interests. This influence is evident across various areas of international law, including climate change law, space law, human rights law, and trade and investment law. At the same time, America has often followed a policy of exceptionalism, i.e., an attitude of being ‘distinct’ and thus an ‘exception’ to the law that binds all other nations. Thus, the U.S. has been criticised for violating or sidelining the same norms and institutions of international law that it helped create and expects other countries to follow.

The Trump 1.0 years

While this has been the case for many American presidencies, the Trump Presidency took it to a completely different level, almost waging a war on international law. Elected with the slogan of “America First”, Mr. Trump’s first term reflected what international law scholars Oona Hathaway and Scott Shapiro call a ‘sovereigntist view of international law’ which often misconceives entering into multilateral treaties as putting unacceptable limits on sovereign authority. Mr. Trump’s first term was marked by scepticism towards multilateralism and a preference for bilateralism, which is usually the case of emerging revisionist powers but strange for the incumbent superpower.

Editorial | ​Inaugural drama: On the 47th President of the U.S.

Accordingly, the Trump administration, in June 2017, famously walked away from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Washington also reneged on a key nuclear treaty with Russia and a nuclear deal with Iran. Mr. Trump also posed major challenges to the international trade regime by using tariffs and other protectionist measures, including against allied countries.

He continued blocking appointments into the World Trade Organization (WTO)’s Dispute Settlement Body’s Appellate Body, which ultimately led to the organ becoming dysfunctional. Under his presidency, the U.S. withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement that the Obama administration had so assiduously crafted and put an end to the North American Free Trade Agreement or NAFTA and negotiating a new trade agreement. Additionally, during the Trump first term, the U.S. withdrew from several international institutions such as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), attempted to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), and threatened withdrawal from the WTO.

Another onslaught

Mr. Trump’s return to the White House could accelerate the weakening of the normative authority of multilateral institutions. While the U.S. rejoined many of the multilateral institutions under the Biden administration, it might again disengage from them. In fact, within hours of his inauguration, he reportedly signed executive orders initiating the U.S.’s withdrawal from WHO and the Paris Agreement. Mr. Trump has announced fresh plans to pursue unilateralism by raising tariffs, even if it triggers a trade war and violates WTO rules.

He has already announced that he may impose a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada. His belligerent onslaught on the Washington Consensus-based international trade and investment law model will continue unabated. Any hopes of the Global South of reviving the WTO’s dysfunctional Appellate Body should be abandoned. While some hoped that Mr. Trump’s policies may translate into renewed U.S. isolationism and less interventionism, his recent statements belie such hopes.

His plans to annex Greenland and the Panama Canal, refusing to rule out coercive methods to do so, and include Canada as the 51st State of the U.S., are reminiscent of the 18th-19th century era of great powers acquiring sovereign territories through conquest and gunboat diplomacy. In the post-UN charter era, which considers the prohibition of using force and self-determination as central tenets, such ambitions may embolden other revisionist states such as China and Russia to embark on similar quests for obtaining territory.

As scholars such as Marko Milanović have pointed out, even if Mr. Trump ultimately does not use force, these statements potentially violate the norm of non-intervention under Article 2(7) of the UN Charter, further challenging the international order. The statements made by his allies, such as Elon Musk (who is part of the Trump administration), commenting on the internal politics and laws of allied countries such as the United Kingdom and Germany, have also irked many and could be construed as unacceptable intervention.

Other nations and the legal order

International lawyer Harold Koh has pointed out that the participants involved in the ‘transnational legal process’, including many officials within the U.S. itself, were able to blunt many of Mr. Trump’s policies in his first term, particularly those affecting international law. However, with Mr. Trump’s renewed majority and control over both the Senate and the House, it is more likely that he will be able to push forward his policies more effectively. In that case, other countries must cooperate to preserve the international legal order.

Prabhash Ranjan is Professor, Jindal Global Law School. Rahul Mohanty is an Assistant Professor, Jindal Global Law School. The views expressed are personal

Geneva:

The World Health Organization on Monday implored China to share data and access to help understand how Covid-19 began, five years on from the start of the pandemic that upended the planet.

Covid-19 killed millions of people, shredded economies and crippled health systems.

“We continue to call on China to share data and access so we can understand the origins of Covid-19. This is a moral and scientific imperative,” the WHO said in a statement.

“Without transparency, sharing, and cooperation among countries, the world cannot adequately prevent and prepare for future epidemics and pandemics.”

The WHO recounted how on December 31, 2019, its country office in China picked up a media statement from the health authorities in Wuhan concerning cases of “viral pneumonia” in the city.

“In the weeks, months and years that unfolded after that, Covid-19 came to shape our lives and our world,” the UN health agency said.

“As we mark this milestone, let’s take a moment to honour the lives changed and lost, recognise those who are suffering from Covid-19 and Long Covid, express gratitude to the health workers who sacrificed so much to care for us, and commit to learning from Covid-19 to build a healthier tomorrow.”

‘Same weaknesses’

Earlier this month, the WHO’s Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus addressed the issue of whether the world was better prepared for the next pandemic than it was for Covid-19.

“The answer is yes, and no,” he told a press conference.

“If the next pandemic arrived today, the world would still face some of the same weaknesses and vulnerabilities that gave Covid-19 a foothold five years ago.

“But the world has also learnt many of the painful lessons the pandemic taught us, and has taken significant steps to strengthen its defences against future epidemics and pandemics.”

In December 2021, spooked by the devastation caused by Covid, countries decided to start drafting an accord on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.

The WHO’s 194 member states negotiating the treaty have agreed on most of what it should include, but are stuck on the practicalities.

A key fault-line lies between Western nations with major pharmaceutical industry sectors and poorer countries wary of being sidelined when the next pandemic strikes.

While the outstanding issues are few, they include the heart of the agreement: the obligation to quickly share emerging pathogens, and then the pandemic-fighting benefits derived from them such as vaccines.

The deadline for the negotiations is May 2025.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jerusalem:

An Israeli military operation Friday targeting Hamas militants near the Kamal Adwan Hospital has put the last major health facility in northern Gaza out of service, the World Health Organization said.

“Initial reports indicate that some key departments were severely burnt and destroyed during the raid,” the WHO said in a statement on X.

Israel’s military claimed in a statement that the hospital had become “a key stronghold for terrorist organisations and continues to be used as a hideout for terrorist operatives” since Israeli forces began broader operations in northern Gaza in October.

The WHO said 60 health workers and 25 patients in critical condition, including those on ventilators, reportedly remain in the hospital.

The patients in moderate to severe condition were forced to evacuate to the destroyed and non-functional Indonesian Hospital, the UN health agency said, adding that it was “deeply concerned for their safety”.

Since October 6, Israel has intensified its land and air offensive in northern Gaza, stating its goal is to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping, and said Friday that it was acting on intelligence regarding “terrorist infrastructure and operatives” in the hospital’s vicinity.

Before initiating the latest operation near the hospital, the military said its troops had “facilitated the secure evacuation of civilians, patients, and medical personnel”.

The WHO reiterated its call for a ceasefire.

“This raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital comes after escalating restrictions on access for WHO and partners, and repeated attacks on or near the facility since early October,” the WHO said.

“Such hostilities and the raids are undoing all our efforts and support to keep the facility minimal functional. The systematic dismantling of the health system in Gaza is a death sentence for tens of thousands of Palestinians in need of health care.”

Hamas denied its militants were present in the hospital, and charged that Israeli forces had stormed the facility on Friday.

“We categorically deny the presence of any military activity or resistance fighters in the hospital,” Hamas said in a statement.

“The enemy’s lies about the hospital aim to justify the heinous crime committed by the occupation army today, involving the evacuation and burning of all hospital departments as part of a plan for extermination and forced displacement.”

Hamas urged the United Nations to set up an investigation committee “to examine the scale of crime being committed in northern Gaza”.

– ‘Surgery departments on fire’ –

The health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, quoting hospital director Hossam Abu Safiyeh, said that the military had “set on fire all surgery departments of the hospital”.

Abu Safiyeh said the military had also “evacuated the entire medical staff and displaced people”.

“There are a large number of injuries among the medical team.”

As of Friday morning, the hospital housed around 350 people, including 75 injured and sick patients, along with 180 medical staff, Abu Safiyeh said.

Witnesses in the area told AFP that the hospital had been evacuated and hundreds of people living in the vicinity were “forced to seek refuge at Al-Fakhura school and the Indonesian hospital” in Jabalia.

AFP was unable to contact Abu Safiyeh and other hospital officials or independently verify how many people had been evacuated from the facility.

The Israeli military has regularly accused Hamas of using hospitals as command and control centres for attacks against its forces throughout the war. Hamas has denied these accusations.

On Thursday, Abu Safiyeh said that five staff members had been killed in an Israeli strike.

The military, when contacted by AFP, did not comment on the strike.

In recent days, Abu Safiyeh has repeatedly raised concerns about the hospital’s situation, accusing Israeli forces of targeting the facility.

“The world must understand that our hospital is being targeted with the intent to kill and forcibly displaced the people inside,” he said in a statement on Monday.

The World Health Organization has described conditions at Kamal Adwan Hospital as “appalling” and said it was operating at a “minimum” level.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

The World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. File
| Photo Credit: AP

The United Nations health agency said on Friday (October 4, 2024) that it had approved the use of the first diagnostic test for mpox, a key tool in countries battling outbreaks.

More than 800 people have died across Africa from mpox, where the disease has been officially detected in 16 countries, according to the African Union’s disease control centre.

“The approval for emergency use” of the test “will be pivotal in expanding diagnostic capacity in countries facing mpox outbreaks, where the need for quick and accurate testing has risen sharply”, the World Health Organization said in a statement.

The test, called the Alinity m MPXV assay and manufactured by Abbott Molecular Inc., enables the detection of the mpox virus from swabs taken from human lesions.

“By detecting DNA from pustular or vesicular rash samples, laboratory and health workers can confirm suspected mpox cases efficiently and effectively”, the WHO said.

“Limited testing capacity and delays in confirming mpox cases persist in Africa, contributing to the continued spread of the virus”, it said.

The approval of the test “represents a significant milestone in expanding testing availability in affected countries,” the statement quoted Yukiko Nakatani, an assistant director-general of WHO, as saying.

“Increasing access to quality-assured medical products is central to our efforts in assisting countries to contain the spread of the virus and protect their people, especially in underserved regions”, Ms. Nakatani said.

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.

It causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, and can be deadly.

The World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. File
| Photo Credit: AP

In an important move to improve global access to Mpox testing, the World Health Organization (WHO) has listed the first Mpox in vitro diagnostic under its Emergency Use Listing procedure.

“The approval for emergency use of the Alinity m MPXV assay, manufactured by Abbott Molecular Inc, will be pivotal in expanding diagnostic capacity in countries facing Mpox outbreaks, where the need for quick and accurate testing has risen sharply. Early diagnosis of Mpox enables timely treatment and care, and control of the virus,’’ WHO said in a statement on Thursday (October 3, 2024).

Currently, 35 laboratories across India are equipped to test suspected cases of Mpox. In mid-August 2024, the WHO declared the surge of Mpox cases in several parts of Africa as a public health emergency of international concern. In India, 30 Mpox cases have been reported since the WHO’s declaration.

Limited testing capacity

The latest WHO statement added that limited testing capacity and delays in confirming Mpox cases persist in Africa, contributing to the continued spread of the virus. In 2024, over 30,000 suspected cases were reported across the region.

The presence of the monkeypox virus is confirmed by nucleic acid amplification testing, such as a real-time or conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), according to the WHO’s interim guidance on diagnostic testing for the monkeypox virus (MPXV). The recommended specimen type for diagnostic confirmation of an MPXV infection in suspected cases is lesion material.

The Alinity m MPXV assay is a real-time PCR test that enables detection of monkeypox virus (clade I/II) DNA from human skin lesion swabs. It is specifically designed for use by trained clinical laboratory personnel who are proficient in PCR techniques and in vitro diagnostic procedures. By detecting DNA from pustular or vesicular rash samples, laboratory and health workers can confirm suspected Mpox cases efficiently and effectively.

Expanding availability

“This first Mpox diagnostic test listed under the Emergency Use Listing (EUL) procedure represents a significant milestone in expanding testing availability in affected countries,” said Yukiko Nakatani, WHO’s assistant director-general for access to medicines and health products. “Increasing access to quality-assured medical products is central to our efforts in assisting countries to contain the spread of the virus and protect their people, especially in underserved regions,” Dr. Nakatani added.

The EUL process accelerates the availability of life-saving medical products, such as vaccines, tests and treatments, in the context of a public health emergency of international concern.

New Delhi:

The World Health Organization on Monday called on countries in the WHO South-East Asia Region to accelerate measures to reduce road traffic deaths, a leading cause of mortality among young people aged 15-29.

“Vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, bicyclists and two or three-wheelers constitute 66 per cent of all reported road traffic deaths in our region,” said Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia, in her address at the 15th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (Safety 2024) which began here today.

She emphasised that the roads and their networks need to be designed prioritising those most at risk — children and adolescents, people with disabilities, pedestrians and other vulnerable groups.

The WHO South-East Asia Region accounted for 330,223 of the 1.19 million estimated global road traffic deaths in 2021, representing 28 pc of the global burden, the WHO said in a statement.

With 70 per cent of the global population projected to live in urban areas by 2030, demand for public transport will surge. The WHO South-East Asia Region, amid rapid urbanisation, faces shared challenges — a high prevalence of motorised two and three-wheelers, inadequate traffic injury data, poor pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure, and limited emergency services, it said.

Unlike high-income countries, where road safety measures often focus on car occupants, low and middle-income countries need to prioritise the safety of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and riders of two and three-wheelers who are disproportionately at higher risk.

Strengthening trauma and emergency care systems, enhancing road safety data, strong leadership and promoting collaboration among all stakeholders are essential for improving road safety, the statement said.

“I am a great believer in collaborations and partnerships — and expanding these to non-traditional stakeholders,” said the regional director.

“This can be our moment to rethink and redo mobility for healthy cities. A holistic approach requires a cross-cutting, multi-sectoral approach, requiring collaboration with local governments, urban planners, traffic policing, law enforcement and others,” she added.

Road safety, a public health and development priority, is crucial to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In September 2020, the UN General Assembly launched the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 which aims to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by at least 50 per cent by 2030, Wazed said.

While the WHO South-East Asia Region saw a 2 per cent decrease in road fatalities in 2021, contributing to a global 5 per cent reduction, further efforts are needed to meet global targets.

At the World Conference, the regional director launched the ‘WHO South-East Asia Regional Status Report on Road Safety: Towards Safer and Sustainable Mobility.’ “This report outlines road traffic injury patterns in our countries and highlights best practices and country-specific interventions. It is both timely and essential for assessing our current position, and for guiding necessary actions to achieve global targets,” she stated.

Addressing these challenges and implementing recommended strategies will be key to advancing road safety and reaching the 2030 targets, Wazed stated.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Photo used for illustration purpose only.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) believes the ongoing Mpox outbreaks in Africa might be stopped in the next six months, and said on Friday (August 30, 2024) that the agency’s first shipment of vaccines should arrive in Congo within days.

To date, Africa has received just a tiny fraction of the vaccines needed to slow the spread of the virus, especially in Congo, which has the most cases — more than 18,000 suspected cases and 629 deaths.

“With the governments’ leadership and close cooperation between partners, we believe we can stop these outbreaks in the next six months,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press briefing.

He said that while mpox infections have been rising quickly in the last few weeks, there have been relatively few deaths. Tedros also noted there were 258 cases of the newest version of mpox, with patients identified in Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Sweden and Thailand.

Earlier this month, WHO declared the ongoing mpox outbreaks in Africa a global emergency, hoping to spur a robust global response to the disease on a continent where cases were spreading largely unnoticed for years, including in Nigeria. In May, scientists detected a new version of the disease in Congo that they think could be spreading more easily.

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is related to smallpox but typically causes milder symptoms, including fever, headache and body aches. In severe cases, people can develop painful sores and blisters on the face, chest, hands and genitals. Mpox is typically spread via close skin-to-skin contact.

WHO estimated about 230,000 vaccines could be sent “imminently” to Congo and elsewhere. The agency said it was also working on education campaigns to raise awareness of how people could avoid spreading mpox in countries with outbreaks.

Maria Van Kerkhove, who directs WHO’s epidemic and pandemic diseases department, said the agency was working to expedite vaccine access for affected countries — given the limited supply available.

Scientists have previously pointed out that without a better understanding of how mpox is spreading in Africa, it may be difficult to know how best to use the shots.

Earlier this week, the head of Africa’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the continent was hoping to receive about 380,000 doses of mpox vaccines promised by donors, including the U.S. and the European Union. That’s less than 15% of the doses authorities have said are needed to end the mpox outbreaks in Congo.

This file picture shows doses of Imvanex, a vaccine to protect against Monkeypox virus.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Thailand on Wednesday (August 21, 2024) reported a suspected first case of the new more dangerous strain of mpox, which the World Health Organization has declared a global public health emergency.

Also read:Risk of large outbreak of mpox low in India for now, says Health Ministry official

The patient is a European who travelled to Thailand from an African country, Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, head of the kingdom’s Department of Disease Control told AFP.

Laboratory tests are under way to confirm the strain, but officials believe it to be from Clade 1. The infected person has been quarantined in hospital.

“We have done a test and they definitely have mpox and it’s definitely not Clade 2,” Mr. Thongchai said..

“We are convinced the person has the Clade 1 variant, but we have to wait to see the final result in the lab for two more days.”

Mpox cases and deaths are surging in Africa, where outbreaks have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda since July.

The disease, caused by a virus transmitted by infected animals but passed from human to human through close physical contact, causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions.

While mpox has been known for decades, a new more deadly and more transmissible strain — known as Clade 1b — has driven the recent surge in cases.

Clade 1b causes death in about 3.6 percent of cases, with children more at risk, according to the WHO.

Formerly called monkeypox, the virus was discovered in 1958 in Denmark, in monkeys kept for research.

DR Congo has reported more than 16,000 cases and 500 deaths this year.

On August 15 Sweden reported the first confirmed Clade 1 case outside Africa.