Mpox emergency demands immediate and equitable access to reliable diagnostics

Geneva, Switzerland 16 August 2024

• Mpox emergency highlights the critical need for accurate and rapid diagnosis at the primary care level.
• FIND is working with partners to ensure everyone has access to testing within the first 100 days of a health emergency.
• Surge funding is urgently needed to rapidly expand the procurement, production, and distribution of quality assured diagnostics tools.

Mpox cases are escalating in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and crossing borders into neighboring countries, leading the Africa CDC to raise the alarm as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security on 13 August and WHO to declare the regional outbreak as a Public Health Emergency of International (PHIEC) Concern the day after.

The increasing number of cases demonstrates the lack of appropriate testing capacity urgently required to understand the impact of the outbreak and to guide the response to ensure communities who need it most – children under five, adolescents, elderly, women and girls, and individuals on the move – get the urgent care they need.

Sergio Carmona, Chief Medical Officer at FIND, said, “The mpox emergency shows us how important it is to have quick and accurate diagnosis at the primary care level to support the communities most affected. We need to better understand the different clades and tailor our health responses. Diagnostic tools are key parts of a broader set of measures needed to contain the spread of mpox. Our goal is to equip healthcare workers with the right tools to diagnose mpox quickly and accurately, allowing for timely treatment and prevention efforts.”

Enhanced surveillance and increased testing are vital for health workers to understand the true extent of the outbreak and to deploy targeted interventions. Accurate diagnostics hold the key to determining the best approach in the emergency response.

Multiple outbreaks are being monitored across Africa, placing a burden on healthcare within the region.  Healthcare systems within higher-income countries have better access to robust stockpiles and preparedness programmes. Health responses must be democratised to ensure all outbreaks are contained, regardless of location. Urgent international action is vital to ensure equitable access to diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines for everyone, everywhere.

FIND is working with global partners to accelerate and expand the range of diagnostics available as part of the 100 Days Mission to reach communities equitably and fast. Gaps are evident as diagnostic capabilities are limited through lab-based tests that take days for results.

The FIND diagnostics landscape shows urgent capacity and funding is required to:

• Accelerate the development and assessment of rapid molecular tests capable of detecting both clades I and II suitable for primary and community care levels.
• Access to biological samples to assist in surveillance and research.
• Expand access to, and manufacturing of, mpox diagnostics in the region, including harmonized procurement and regulatory approvals.

Speaking on the need for diagnostics, Emmanuel Agogo, Director of Pandemic Threats at FIND, said: “The declaration of mpox as a public health emergency underscores the urgent need to protect vulnerable communities through surveillance and accurate diagnosis. FIND is working with other global partners on the 100 Days Mission aspirations to expand testing options, access to testing where it is needed, and evaluation of point-of-care diagnostic tools for mpox. It is critical for reliable and timely diagnostics to reach people and countries in need, equitably and fast”.

Information on mpox can be found in the FIND pathogen diagnostics readiness index (PDxRI) and the outbreak test directory as the landscape shows the urgency to update the directory and evaluate new tests to guide country health responses.