Mpox in Humanitarian WASH Response 2024

GWC Helpdesk

Mpox (monkeypox) is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. Two different clades exist: clade 1 and clade 2. On 14 August 2024, the multi-country outbreak and current upsurge of Mpox clade 1b was declared a Public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) by WHO. Mpox has been reported in the DRC for more than a decade, and the number of cases reported each year has increased steadily over that period. Last year, reported cases increased significantly, and already the number of cases reported so far has exceeded last year’s total, with more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths. The emergence last year and rapid spread of a new virus strain in DRC, clade 1b, which appears to be spreading mainly through sexual networks, and its detection in countries neighboring the DRC is especially concerning, and one of the main reasons for the declaration of the PHEIC. In the past month, over 100 laboratory-confirmed cases of clade 1b have been reported in four countries neighboring the DRC that have not reported mpox before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Experts believe the true number of cases to be higher as a large proportion of clinically compatible cases have not been tested.

Several outbreaks of different clades of mpox have occurred in different countries, with different modes of transmission and different levels of risk. Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene will play a key role in the humanitarian response and in collaborating with public health authorities. This page aims to provide the latest resources and provide key guidance on Mpox and WASH in Humanitarian settings.

GWC Guidance for WASH Practitioners on Mpox - 31 August 2024

The latest guidance developed by the GWC can be found here (dated 31 August 2024). The desk review was initiated in August 2024 - NCPs, members, public health, and emergency practitioners are welcome to edit, review, and submit their content by sending an email to globalwashcluster@unicef.org.

Latest Updates

GWC Global Briefing on Mpox in Humanitarian WASH Response 3 September 2024 - Watch the recording here - PPT Deck here.
GWC Hygiene Promotion Twig Live Mpox Repository
WHO - latest Mpox updates /sitreps
Reliefweb latest Mpox updates

Key WASH and IPC documents for Mpox response UNICEF/WHO

World Health Organization. Public health advice on mpox and congregate settings: Settings in which people live, stay or work in proximity, March 2023. This public health advice from WHO provides information about reducing the risk, spread and impact of mpox in settings in which people live in congregate settings. Examples of congregate settings include facilities such as prisons, jails, refugee camps, nursing homes, and university campus housing.

https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/public-health-advice-on-mpox-and-congregate-settings--settings-in-which-people-live--stay-or-work-in-proximity

World Health Organization. Clinical management and Infection Prevention and Control for Monkeypox, Interim rapid response guidance, June 2022. During the mpox outbreak of 2022, WHO has developed this rapid interim guideline to provide interim guidance for clinicians, health facility managers, health workers and IPC practitioners. It details IPC measures recommended at healthcare facilities and at home.

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-MPX-Clinical-and-IPC-2022.1

RCCE Mpox Resources

Evidence

Template for U-Report poll on mpox (ENG draft 21.08.2024) and U-Report Poll en Français (draft 22.08.2024)
Quantitative Questions bank for mpox (draft 22.08.2024)
WHO Social listening Taxonomy (draft August 2024)
Key Considerations: Risk Communication and Community Engagement for Mpox Vaccination in Eastern DRC (ENG and FRA ) 2024

Guidance

Recommended Mpox online resources

	RCCE Collective Service: Key documentation and products developed by partners for supporting Community Engagement for Mpox (Monkeypox) Response, updated August 2024 https://www.rcce-collective.net/resources/thematic-kits/mpox/
	World Health Organization. Mpox (Monkeypox) outbreak 2022, updated August 2024. https://www.who.int/emergencies/situations/monkeypox-oubreak-2022
	World Health Organization. Mpox (Monkeypox) outbreak toolbox, updated July 2024. https://www.who.int/emergencies/outbreak-toolkit/disease-outbreak-toolboxes/mpox-outbreak-toolbox
	US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Infection Prevention and Control of Mpox in Healthcare Settings, updated 2 August 2024 https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/clinicians/infection-control-healthcare.html US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Isolation and Infection Control At Home, updated 11 August 2024 https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/clinicians/infection-control-home.html US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Considerations for Reducing Mpox Transmission in Congregate Living Settings, updated 6 September 2023 https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/mpox/community/congregate.html

WASH and IPC references for health care facilities

	World Health Organization. Essential Environmental Health Standards in Health Care. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2008. This document provides guidance on essential environmental health standards required for health care in medium- and low-resource countries and supports the development and implementation of national policies. These guidelines have been written for use by health managers and planners, architects, urban planners, water and sanitation staff, clinical and nursing staff, carers and other health-care providers, and health promoters. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241547239
	World Health Organization. Minimum Requirements for Infection Prevention and Control Programmes. Geneva: World Health Organization, 2019. The purpose of this document is to present and promote the minimum requirements for IPC programmes at the national and health care facility level, identified by expert consensus according to available evidence and in the context of the WHO core components. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/330080
	World Health Organization. Guidelines on Core Components of Infection Prevention and Control Programmes at the National and Acute Health Care Facility Level, 2016. These guidelines on the core components of IPC programmes form a key part of WHO strategies to prevent current and future threats, strengthen health service resilience, and help combat AMR. They are intended to support countries in the development of their own national protocols for IPC and AMR action plans and to support health care facilities as they develop or strengthen their own approaches to IPC. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/251730
	World Health Organization. Safe Management of Wastes From Health-Care Activities. Second Edition. World Health Organization, 2014. This handbook provides comprehensive guidance on safe, efficient, and environmentally sound methods for the handling and disposal of health-care wastes in normal situations and emergencies. For health-care settings in which resources are severely limited, it pays particular attention to basic processes and technologies that are not only safe but also affordable, sustainable, and culturally appropriate. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241548564

World Health Organization. Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Assessment Framework (IPCAF) at the Facility Level, 2018.

The Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Assessment Framework (IPCAF) is a tool to support the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Guidelines on core components of IPC programmes at the acute health care facility level. The user should be familiar with the contents of these guidelines before using this tool. The IPCAF is a systematic tool that can provide a baseline assessment of the IPC programme and activities within a health care facility, as well as ongoing evaluations through repeated administration to document progress over time and facilitate improvement.

https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-HIS-SDS-2018.9

UNICEF, and World Health Organization. Water and Sanitation for Health Facility Improvement Tool (WASH FIT), 2nd edition, 2022.

Improvement tool to be used on a continuous and regular basis to help health care facility staff and administrators prioritize and improve WASH and health care waste management infrastructures and services in facilities in low- and middle-income countries; and to inform broader district, regional and national efforts to improve quality health care. WASH FIT complements the IPCAF and provides a greater depth of information on the built environment.

https://www.washinhcf.org/wash-fit/

How to Request Support

The Global WASH Cluster offers specific helpdesk support on Mpox response and coordination to national coordination platforms. If you have any queries or requests for support, please write to: gwchelp@unicef.org.