The WHO director-general addressed the issue during talks with Congolese President Denis Sassou-N’Guesso, who received him at his residence on Monday, the Presidency announced on its X profile.

Adhanom Ghebreyesus commented after the meeting that the Mpox epidemic was one of the items of the talks where they discussed the implications of the neighboring countries with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), one of the hardest hit by the outbreak.

However, he believes that with the necessary resources and coordination, it is possible to stop the epidemic in the region, which has already faced other threats such as Ebola and cholera.

The WHO director-general also highlighted the Congolese head of State’s commitment to improving the national health system, which is showing progress in both primary healthcare and other areas.

In a post on X, the Congolese Presidency stated that Sassou-N’Guesso reaffirmed his Government’s stance to continue making progress in this area and stressed the importance of informing the population about the Mpox virus and the preventive measures to avoid its spread. On the same social platform, Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked the Congolese president on Tuesday “for his collaboration with WHO to promote health for all in the Republic of Congo and throughout Africa.”

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