The Philippines became the first country in the Western Pacific Region to conduct an intra-action review (IAR) of mpox. During an exercise from 12-13 March 2025, over 80 representatives and experts from various sectors — health, the environment, food and drugs administration, border control, civil society and academia — came together to evaluate the Philippines’ response to mpox to date and chart the course for the year ahead. As part of the review, CSOs provided valuable insights, highlighting gaps in coordination between the DOH, medical societies and civil society groups. Overarching recommendations included improving coordination and partnership mechanisms between agencies, clinicians, and communities.

WHO supported countries to integrate mpox surveillance and readiness actions to manage major mass gathering events, including the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in October 2024 in Samoa. This major event, which brought together 56 countries—required months of preparation to ensure the health and security of thousands of delegates. WHO supported Samoa's Ministry of Health surveillance team to assess and identify all potential local and imported risks (including mpox importation) and to develop a surveillance response plan to mitigate these risks. WHO also trained the national surveillance, rapid response, clinical, public health and port health teams using virtual and in-person training modalities.

To ensure continued equitable access to quality mpox diagnostics and characterization tools, WHO distributed laboratory test kits to 12 countries across the region. This support has facilitated continued testing, yielding valuable data that has informed implementation of appropriate outbreak response measures. Approximately 400 mpox genome sequences have been uploaded by countries in the region to publicly accessible databases. To further enhance workforce capacities for mpox testing and characterization, 25 laboratory officers from eight countries in region are currently being trained on mpox genomic sequencing. Workforce capacities built through these efforts can be leveraged during responses to future disease outbreaks.

WHO has supported countries to scale up workforce capacities in mpox surveillance and early detection. In November 2024, Solomon Islands, with support from WHO, held a 1-day training targeting surveillance officers who also provide clinical services. The training enhanced workforce capacities in mpox situational updates; surveillance actions to detect mpox and apply case definitions; taking samples and lab testing; integration of mpox reporting in event-based surveillance; as well as overall risk communication. As a result of the training, participants are now better equipped to report, analyze, and interpret surveillance data during an outbreak.

WHO worked with countries across the Region to engage communities at risk. In Viet Nam, WHO used insights from pre- and post-campaign surveys, to run a national data-driven, targeted campaign to address stigma, discrimination, and misinformation. WHO also developed targeted material for healthcare workers, communities, and at-risk populations. A WHO ‘Mpox Job Aid for Healthcare Workers’ distilled technical guidance into clear, actionable messages on clinical management and infection control, specifically designed for frontline workers in settings with limited mpox experience.

To enhance workforce readiness, WHO convened over 4000 health emergency workforce members from 28 countries through four community of practice sessions around clinical management, laboratory diagnosis, surveillance, contact tracing, outbreak management and community engagement. Each of these sessions included an epidemiological update, guidance on surveillance for mpox and insights from experts across the Region. Representatives from Australia, the Philippines, Japan, China and Viet Nam shared their approaches to managing mpox in their respective countries. This form of peer-to-peer exchange and learning has been instrumental in keeping the health emergency workforce ‘ready to respond’.