The World Health Organisation declared an emergency this week because to a rapidly spreading mpox outbreak in Africa. On Friday, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), an EU agency, stated that more imported cases to Europe were “highly likely”.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, or Africa CDC, declared the first-ever Public Health Emergency of Continental Security, or PHECS, for the deadly disease.
The WHO has issued its second public health emergency alert since the pandemic began in 2022. The virus has already spread from its epicentre in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to other African countries, with the first detections occurring this week in Sweden and Pakistan.
What is mpox?
The illness, formerly known as monkeypox, was first found in people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.The virus has two subtypes: Clade 1 and Clade 2. For decades, the deadlier clade 1 has been endemic in the Congo Basin in central Africa.
Clade 2 is less severe and has become endemic in several parts of West Africa.Mpox can be transmitted from person to person via sexual or intimate physical contact. Symptoms include fever, muscle pains, and big, boil-like skin sores.
The virus acquired international attention in May 2022, when a less lethal form known as clade 2b spread around the world, primarily afflicting gay and bisexual men. According to the WHO, between January 2022 and June 2024, 208 deaths and over 99,000 mpox cases were reported in 116 countries.
What’s new?
The most recent spike has been of the deadlier clade 1—and its new mutant form. The new strain, known as clade 1b, was discovered among sex workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in September 2023.
Sweden reported the first case of the strain outside of Africa this week, prompting the EU’s health council to urge countries to step up their readiness. Pakistan reported Asia’s first case.
According to Brian Ferguson, an Associate Professor of Immunology at the University of Cambridge, it’s not surprising that this case has spread across continents to Europe.
He also stated that instances were likely to increase in Europe and internationally since “there are currently no mechanisms in place to stop imported cases of mpox”.
Containing the pandemic will necessitate “rapid international cooperation,” said Francois Balloux of the University College of London Genetics Institute, adding that there was “no evidence of transmission in Europe at this stage.”
Who is infected?
Clade 1 mpox is “known for causing more severe disease in young children, pregnant women, and immunocompromised people,” according to Jonas Albarnaz, a poxvirus specialist at the Pirbright Institute in Britain. According to Albarnaz, Clade 1b is transmitted sexually and primarily affects young adults.
It has also been observed spreading through non-sexual contact between individuals, such as youngsters playing together at school. Clade 1b causes death in approximately 3.6 percent of cases, while infants and children are particularly vulnerable, according to the WHO.
Is there a vaccination?
Vaccines were deployed throughout Europe and North America during the global spread of mumps in 2022, assisting in the outbreak’s suppression.
However, vaccinations have not been extensively distributed in the African countries most impacted by mpox. The US Department of Health announced Wednesday that it would donate 50,000 doses of an mpox vaccine to the DRC.
On Tuesday, Africa CDC Director Jean Kaseya announced a collaboration with the European Union and Danish pharmaceutical company Bavarian Nordic to deliver 200,000 pills across the continent.
Although that is insufficient, Kaseya stated during a media briefing that Africa could get an additional 10 million immunisations. Bavarian Nordic announced Friday that it was seeking European approval to deploy its mpox vaccine in youngsters aged 12 to 17.
