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[The new monkeypox virus branch that Tedros mentioned refers to a new variant of the monkeypox virus called type 1, namely type 1b, which is currently circulating in Congo. This variant causes more severe disease. The type 2 monkeypox virus strain is prevalent in the 2022 monkeypox outbreak.]

On August 15, local time, the World Health Organization announced that the monkeypox outbreak constituted a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" (PHEIC). This is the second time in two years that the WHO has declared a monkeypox outbreak a PHEIC event. PHEIC is also the highest alert level stipulated by international health law.

Data from the World Health Organization show that the number of monkeypox cases reported this year has exceeded 15,600, exceeding the total number of cases last year, including 537 deaths.

“The discovery of a rapidly spreading new monkeypox virus clade in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and in neighbouring countries where monkeypox had not previously been reported is of great concern, and the potential for further spread across Africa and beyond is very worrying,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The new monkeypox virus branch that Tedros mentioned refers to a new variant of the monkeypox virus called type 1, or type 1b, that is currently circulating in Congo, which causes more severe disease. The type 2 monkeypox virus strain that is circulating in the 2022 monkeypox outbreak is the type 2 monkeypox virus strain. Monkeypox can be transmitted through close contact and is usually mild, but in rare cases it can be fatal.

The new monkeypox variant has now spread from Congo to neighboring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, prompting the World Health Organization to sound the alarm.