The World Health Organization declared M-pox or Monkeypox as a public health emergency of international concern on August 14th 2024 due to an upsurge of the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring African countries. In a statement, the Caribbean Public Health Emergency Agency (CARPHA) noted that this was the highest level of global alert which underscores the potential threat the Monkey pox virus poses to countries around the world. This is the second declaration of the global alert in two years concerning M-pox. CARPHA noted that the current outbreak is caused by clade I, explaining that it is more transmissible and causes more severe illness. They said that presently, there are no cases of clade I M-pox reported in the Caribbean and its neighbouring countries such as the U.S., U.K., Canada and Latin America. However, CARPHA noted that there is a limited amount of travelers and no direct commercial flights from the Democratic Republic of Congo or its neighbouring countries to the Caribbean.
