The World Health Organization (WHO) is convening an emergency committee in response to the spread of mpox beyond the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the potential for further international transmission, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday.
The committee will meet "as soon as possible" to assess whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, Tedros told a press briefing in Geneva.
Since the beginning of this year, the DRC has been experiencing a severe outbreak of mpox, with cases now spreading to neighboring countries. Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
The outbreak is associated with infections caused by a more deadly variant named "clade 1b," which was first detected in DRC last year.
Mpox, previously called monkeypox, can be transmitted to humans through direct contact with an infectious person, contaminated materials, or infected animals.
WHO convenes emergency committee to address mpox spread
The Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Sunday released a short video of its combat training activities, showing the PLA is ready for operations at all times.
The video was released a day before the theater command organized its troops of army, navy, air force and rocket force to conduct "Joint Sword-2024B" drills in the Taiwan Strait and the north, south and east of the island of Taiwan.
Li Xi, the spokesperson for the theater command, said the drills involve vessels and planes closing in on the island from multiple directions and assaults by joint forces.
The drills focus on joint sea-air combat readiness patrol, the blockade and control of key ports and areas, strikes on sea and land targets, and the seizure of comprehensive battlefield control, so as to test the joint real-combat capabilities of the forces of the command, Li said.
The drills are a powerful deterrent to the separatist activities of "Taiwan independence" elements, and are legitimate and necessary actions to safeguard national sovereignty and national unity, Li said.
PLA releases short video on combat training activities
