GENEVA -- The U.N. health agency on Monday launched a six-month plan to help stanch outbreaks of mpox transmission, including ramping up staffing in affected countries and boosting surveillance, prevention and response strategies.

The World Health Organization anticipates that its plan, spanning from September to February of next year, will necessitate $135 million in funding. The goal is to enhance equitable access to vaccines, especially in African countries most impacted by the outbreak.

“The mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries are controllable and preventable,” stated WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement.

The agency is “significantly increasing its workforce” in affected countries, it said. In mid-August, WHO declared the current mpox outbreak a global health emergency.

Also on Monday, German government spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit announced that Germany will donate 100,000 doses of mpox vaccine to affected countries from its military reserves, according to German news agency dpa.

Last Tuesday, Congo, the most affected country, reported more than 1,000 new mpox cases in the preceding week.

According to the latest update from the African Centers for Disease Control, as of Thursday, over 21,300 suspected or confirmed cases and 590 deaths have been reported in 12 African nations this year.

Mpox, a member of the same virus family as smallpox, typically presents with milder symptoms like fever, chills, and body aches. Transmission primarily occurs through close skin-to-skin contact, including sexual intercourse. Individuals with more severe cases may develop lesions on the face, hands, chest, and genitals.