The World Health Organization has stated that global health authorities possess much greater knowledge about the spread of mpox compared to what was known about COVID-19.

On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted that mpox, the viral infection currently spreading in central Africa, "is not the new COVID."

Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, stated during a UN media briefing that global health authorities have a substantial understanding of mpox and its management, despite having recently declared it a "public health emergency of international concern" (PHEIC).

Kluge noted that there is already significant knowledge about clade 2, the variant responsible for the 2022 epidemic. "Now," he added, "we need to learn more about clade 1," referring to the new, more contagious variant.

"We can and must tackle mpox together," Kluge asserted.

He posed a crucial question: "Will we choose to implement the systems necessary to control and eliminate mpox globally, or will we enter another cycle of panic and neglect? Our response now and in the coming years will be a critical test for Europe and the world."

Historically, mpox cases outside of Central and West Africa, where the virus is endemic, have been rare and generally linked to travel or imported animals.

In the past two years, however, the WHO has declared the spread of mpox a global health emergency twice. In 2022, the virus spread to over 70 countries that had not previously reported cases. This year, a new variant of mpox has caused a surge in cases and deaths in Congo and neighboring countries, leading the WHO to once again declare the virus’s spread an emergency of international concern.