Global Health Leaders Tackle Equal Access to Mpox Treatments

The World Health Organisation is hosting an emergency meeting to address fair access to tests, treatments, and vaccines for mpox. The meeting will involve an alliance of health experts who managed the COVID-19 response, including agencies like the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Discussions will ensure past failures in equitable access are not repeated.

The World Health Organisation is set to convene an emergency meeting on Friday to strategize on ensuring global, equitable access to tests, treatments, and vaccines for mpox. This comes as the viral infection spreads across Africa and beyond, according to a top official.

The meeting will feature an alliance of health experts who oversaw the global COVID-19 response, including prominent health agencies such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. The focus will be on avoiding the inequities faced during the COVID pandemic, said Ayoade Alakija, chair of the meeting and a WHO special envoy.

Alakija emphasized the urgency of the situation as mpox was recently declared a global health emergency after a massive outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo spilled into neighboring countries. Lessons from the COVID-19 response will help guide efforts to secure equal access to medical resources, a priority highlighted by Alakija.

(With inputs from agencies.)