The World Health Organization has declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern. Cases of mpox — previously called monkeypox — have been surging in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In recent weeks, cases have appeared in nearby African countries, including several that have never reported mpox cases before.
"What we're seeing is tip of the iceberg" because of weaknesses in the surveillance system, says Dr. Dimie Ogoina, the chair of the emergency committee convened by WHO and an infectious disease physician at Niger Delta University in Nigeria.
"This is something that should concern us all," says WHO's director-general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
