Hybrid meeting, 29-30 August 2024 from 13:00 to 18:00 (CET)
Watch the live stream here:
Globally, the multi-country outbreak of mpox has led to 116 countries and territories in all WHO regions reporting 99 176 confirmed cases and 208 deaths (CFR 0.2%) between May 2022 and June 2024. The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, linked to Clade I MPXV, has continued to evolve with cases rising steadily since late 2022 and has now become particularly concerning. This increased case reporting is driven by two concomitant outbreaks, including (1) outbreaks in historically endemic parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, affecting primarily children, and (2) a rapidly expanding outbreak of a new strain of MPXV clade I – named clade Ib – which like IIb appears to be spreading predominantly through sexual networks, expanding geographically in eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and now also affecting neighbouring countries.
On 13 August 2024, Africa CDC’s declared Mpox as a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security. This declaration aims to galvanize political leadership and engagement among AU Heads of State and Government, facilitating the rapid mobilisation of essential financial and technical resources to control the outbreak.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), having concurred with the advice offered by the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR or Regulations) Emergency Committee regarding the upsurge of mpox 2024 during its first meeting, held on 14 August 2024, has determined, on the same date, that the ongoing upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the provisions of the International Health Regulations.
This Research Response Conference is a pivotal gathering aimed at addressing the urgent global challenge posed by the mpox virus. This conference is designed to foster a collaborative and open environment where researchers, public health officials, and stakeholders from affected countries can take the lead in shaping the research agenda.
Our collective goal is to align research efforts with outbreak response strategies to effectively mitigate morbidity and mortality, halt transmission, and advance the development of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics to prevent future outbreaks.
OBJECTIVES
- Review Current Disease Transmission Dynamics and Disease Surveillance
- Assess Therapeutics, Diagnostics, and Vaccines
- Explore Novel Evaluation Approaches for MCMs
- Incorporate Good Participatory Practices
- Enhance Scientific and Ethical Capacity
- Review Regulatory and Ethics Frameworks
- Identify Research Priorities and Opportunities
- Ensure coordination of Studies in Africa
- Promote Multi-Country Trial Collaboration
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
- Development of an emergency mpox research response: Create a foundational document to guide the development of an mpox Research Response Agenda & Implementation Roadmap. This document will enumerate knowledge gaps information needed to end this epidemic, and identify opportunities for research, regulatory, and ethical convergence, while outlining priority research areas for this outbreak and for the African continent.
- Enhanced Collaboration and Partnerships: Outline approaches to further facilitate continental and international collaboration and partnerships focused on the research and development of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics related to mpox.
- Key Steps and Timelines: Provide an outline of essential steps and timelines to address the identified research gaps and opportunities, ensuring a structured approach to advancing the research agenda.
PRESENTATIONS
DAY 1 - 29 August 2024
Objectives and expected outcomes
Deliberating on current disease transmission dynamics & clinical course
Overview of clinical characteristics of various clades
Overview of the virologic characteristics of various clades
Assessing vaccines: Integrating into the outbreak response
TPPs and overview of data and recommendations on mpox vaccines
Deployment of limited vaccine supply to high-risk populations: opportunities for generation of randomized evidence
Converging on vaccine regulatory and ethics frameworks
Mpox overview of vaccine regulatory status
Bringing Alignment and Harmonization on Regulatory Requirements for Vaccine Developers for Priority Disease
Areas - AVAREF’s Role
Assessing diagnostics integrated into the outbreak response
Overview of available diagnostic tools and candidate tests in the pipeline with potential to facilitate diagnostics and outbreak response in the context of the TPP
Integrating research on unbiased diagnostics tools inot the outbreak response
Enabling insights from Mpox data
DAY 2 - 30 August 2024