The WHO Director-General transmits the report of the fourth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) Emergency Committee regarding the multi-country outbreak of monkeypox (mpox), held on Thursday, 9 February 2023 from 12:00 to 17:00 CET.

Following a series of consultations with global experts, WHO recommends a new preferred term “mpox” as a synonym for monkeypox. Both names will be used simultaneously for one year while the term “monkeypox” is phased out. This report uses the term “mpox” (for more information see here).

The Emergency Committee acknowledged the progress made in the global response to the multi-country outbreak of mpox and the further decline in the number of reported cases since the last meeting. The Committee observed that a few countries continued to see a sustained incidence of illness; the Committee is also of the view that underreported detection and under-reporting of confirmed cases of illness in other regions is likely. Therefore, the Committee considered various options to sustain attention and resources to control the outbreak and advised maintaining the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), while beginning to consider plans to integrate mpox prevention, preparedness and response within national surveillance and control programmes, including for HIV and other sexually transmissible infections.