The Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), following the third meeting of the International Health Regulation (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee concerning the resurgence of MPOX 2024Hold on February 25, 2025, from 12:00 to 5:00 p.m. CET, agreed with its advice according to which the event continues to meet the criteria of an emergency of public health of international concern and, taking into account the advice of the committee, it issues a revised set of temporary recommendations.
The director general of the WHO expresses his most sincere gratitude to the president, members and advisers of the committee. The procedure for the third meeting of the Committee will be shared with the States Parties at the RSI and published in the coming days.
———
Temporary recommendations
These temporary recommendations are delivered to States Parties experiencing the transmission of the Monkeypox virus (MPXV), includingBut without limiting themselves, those where there are Developed community transmission, and where there are cases of cases or sporadic cases linked to the trips of MPXV IB CLADE.
They are intended to be implemented by these states parties in addition to the current Permanent recommendations for MPOXwhich will be extended until August 20, 2025.
In the context of global efforts to prevent and control the spread of MPOX disease described in the WHO Strategic Executive to improve the prevention and control of MPOX- 2024-2027the aforementioned permanent recommendations ask for All States Parties.
All current temporary technical advice can be accessible this page of the WHO website. The advice based on evidence has been and will continue to be updated in accordance with the evolving situation, updating scientific evidence and the assessment of WHO risks to support states parties in the implementation of the WHO strategic framework to improve MPOX prevention and control.
In accordance with the principle of article 3 of international health regulations (2005) (RSI), the implementation of these temporary recommendations, as well as the permanent recommendations for MPOX, by the States Parties are with full respect for dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms of people, in accordance with the principles set out in article 3 of the IHR.
———
Note: The text in Backets alongside each temporary recommendation indicates the status with regard to all the temporary recommendations issued on November 27, 2024.
Emergency coordination
- Secure political commitment, commitment and the adequate allocation of resources to intensify MPOX prevention and response efforts for the lowest administrative and operational MPOX cases in the previous 4 weeks (called “hot spots”). (Extended, with re-phrasage)
- Establish or improve the national and prevention prevention and response to emergency agreements Strategic preparation and global response plan for MPOX WHO (2024), and its next iteration, and in accordance with the WHO strategic framework to improve prevention and control of MPOX (2024-2027) to maintain. (Extended, with re-phrasage)
- Establish or improve coordination between all partners and stakeholders committed or supported MPOX prevention and response activities through cooperation, including by introducing liability mechanisms. (Extended, with re-phrasage)
- Establish a mechanism to monitor the effectiveness of MPOX prevention and response measures implemented at lower administrative levels, so that these measures can be adjusted if necessary. (Extended, with re-phrasage)
- Strengthen coordination and response mechanisms, in particular in humanitarian areas and affected by conflicts, by engaging local and national authorities and implementing partners to ensure the monitoring and provision of integrated MPOX care in support of vulnerable populations, in particular in the fields with a displacement of the population and inadequate access to essential services. (AMENDED)
Collaborative surveillance
- Improve MPOX monitoring, by increasing the sensitivity of the approaches adopted and guaranteeing complete geographic coverage. (Extended, with re-phrasage)
- Develop access to precise, affordable and available diagnostics to test MPOX, including by reinforcement provisions for the transport of samples, decentralization of tests and arrangements to differentiate MPXV clades and carry out genomic sequencing. (EXTENDED)
- Identify, monitor and support the contacts of suspected persons suspected, clinically diagnosed or confirmed in the laboratory to prevent forward transmission. (Extended, with re-phrasage)
- Expand efforts to carefully study cases and epidemics of MPOX in order to better understand the modes of transmission and risk of transmission, and prevent its transmission to contacts and communities. (Extended, with re-phrasage)
- Report to which suspects, probable and confirmed cases of MPOX in a timely manner and each week. (EXTENDED)
Safe and scalable clinical care
- Provide clinical, nutritional and psychosocial support to patients with MPOX, including, if necessary and possible, isolation in care centers and / or access to materials and advice for home care. (EXTENDED)
- Develop and implement a plan to extend access to optimized support clinical care for all patients with MPOX, including children, patients living with HIV and pregnant women. This includes rapid identification and effective management of endemic co-infections, such as malaria, chickenpox or measles. This also includes the offer of HIV tests to adult patients who do not know their HIV status and children, if necessary, tests and treatment for other sexually transmitted infections (IST) among cases related to sexual contact and the reference to HIV / Stis treatment and care services when indicated. (AMENDED)
- Strengthen the capacity, knowledge and skills of health workers and infection and prevention and control – screening, diagnosis, isolation, environmental cleaning, patient release, including post -porting monitoring for suspected and confirmed MPOX – and providing health and care workers with personal protective equipment (EPI). (Extended, with re-phrasage)
- Improve the prevention and control measures of infections (IPC) and the availability of water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and waste management and infrastructure services in health establishments and treatment and care centers to provide health services and the protection of health and care and patient and patient protection. (Extended, with re-phrasage)
International traffic
- Establish or strengthen cross -border collaboration agreements for the surveillance, management and support of suspicious cases and MPOX contacts, and for the provision of information to travelers and transport operators, without using travel and commerce restrictions which have an unnecessarily impact on local, regional or national economies. (EXTENDED)
Vaccination
- Prepare yourself and implement the integrated targeted use of the vaccine for “Phase 1-Stop the epidemic” (as defined in the Strategic preparation and global response plan for MPOX WHO (2024) and its next iteration) by identifying the lowest administrative level cases (hot spots) to interrupt the transmission of the sustained community. (Extended, with re-phrasage)
- Develop and implement vaccination plans in the context of an integrated response in the lowest administrative reports for people at high risk of exposure (for example, contacts of cases of all ages, including sexual contact, health and care workers, key populations and other risk groups in endemic and non -endemic fields). This implies a targeted integrated response, including active monitoring and contacting of contacts; Agile adaptation of vaccination strategies and plans to the local context, including the availability of vaccines and supplies; Community proactive commitment to generate and maintain demand and trust in vaccination; Close monitoring of activities and coverage of MPOX vaccination, and data collection during vaccination activities according to the research protocols involving. (Extended, with re-phrasage)
Community protection
- Strengthen risks communication and community engagement systems with affected communities and local workforce for epidemics, response and vaccination strategies, in particular in the lowest administrative report levels, including training, high risk mapping and vulnerable populations, social listening and community feedback and disinformation management. This implies, among other things, to effectively communicate uncertainties concerning the natural history of MPOX, information updated on MPOX, in particular on the effectiveness of MPOX vaccines, uncertainties concerning the duration of protection after vaccination and any relevant information on the clinical trials to which the local population may have access, as the case may be. (Extended, with re-phrasage)
- Respond to stigma and discrimination of any kind via a significant community commitment, in particular in health services and during risk communication activities. (EXTENDED)
- Promote and implement IPC measures and basic management and waste management services in household environments, bring together parameters (for example, prisons, internal displaced people and refugee camps, etc.), schools, entry points and cross -border transport zones. (EXTENDED)
Governance and financing
- Galvanize and increase national financing and explore the external opportunities for targeted financing of prevention, preparation and response activities of MPOX, defend the release of available funds and take measures to identify the new potential financing partners for emergency interventions. (Extended, with re-phrasage)
- Integrate MPOX prevention and response measures, including improved monitoring, in existing programs for the prevention, control and treatment of other endemic diseases – in particular HIV, as well as STIs, Malaria, Tuberculosis, other vaccination practicing diseases, including COVID -19, and / or non -communicable diseases – Effort to identify the programs that will lead to better health results. (Extended, with re-phrasage)
Make research gaps
- Invest in field studies to better understand animal hosts and zoonotic overflows in the fields where MPXV circulates, in coordination with the animal health sector and a single health partner. (Extended, with re-phrasage)
- Strengthen and develop the use of genomic sequencing to characterize epidemiology and MPXV transmission chains to better clarify control measures. (EXTENDED)
Report on the implementation of temporary recommendations
- Report quarterly to the WHO on the State and the challenges linked to the implementation of these temporary recommendations, using a standardized tool and channels that will be made available by the WHO. (EXTENDED)