WHO and Africa CDC launch a response plan to the mpox outbreak

Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have launched a continent-wide response plan to the outbreak of mpox. The plan was launched on Friday. It came three weeks after WHO declared mpox outbreaks in 12 African countries a global emergency. The estimated budget for the six-month plan is almost $600 million.  The director-general of the Africa CDC told reporters on Friday that the plan focuses on surveillance, laboratory testing and community engagement. That underscores the fact that vaccines aren’t enough to fight the outbreak.