The World Health organization has declared Monkeypox, which it renamed Mpox, a global health emergency, as the virus spreads throughout Africa, and even has a case confirmed in Europe.
Only days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a public health emergency of global concern, Sweden recorded its first case of the new Mpox strain.
Deadlier Strain
The new, deadlier strain of the monkeypox virus, known as clade 1b is a sub-variant of the strain clade 1.
After the WHO’s declaration on Mpox, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) also announced the Mpox virus a public health emergency of continental health security.
This is the very first time that the African Centre for Disease Control has made this type of declaration since its inception in 2017.
Public Health Emergency
The World Health Organization’s declaration is the second in now the third in as many years with regards to Mpox virus which it had renamed from Monkeypox.
The first WHO declaration came in 2022, when the group declared Mpox a public health emergency of potentially global concern.
The second declaration came in early 2023 after a multi-country outbreak of the virus but announced the emergency over in May 2023.
Ways to Catch Mpox
Mpox is a virus which can typically be spread only through very close contact of infected individuals.
Mpox, or monkeypox, is not considered a sexually transmitted disease because it can spread through other means.
Other ways to catch Mpox is by skin-to-skin contact with an infected person or contaminated materials that came in contact with an infected person.
Sexual contact is the primary way for the Mpox virus spreads among infected individuals.
According to the CDC in the United States, more than 95% of cases have been acquired during sexual contact among men who have sex with men (MSM).
Other Ways Mpox Can Spread
The CDC also recommends Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) screening for everyone being evaluated for the Mpox.
Other ways mpox can spread include:
From the environment – People can get mpox by coming into contact with surfaces or things that have been touched by someone who is infected with the Mpox virus.
From animals – In areas where the Mpox virus is present in wild animals, people can get it direclty from contact with infected animals.
Usually those who are infected with the Mpox virus experience mild symptoms, while it can fatal in some cases.
Experience Flu-Like Symptoms
Those infected with the Mpox virus will experience flu-like symptoms including muscle aches and a sore throat then pus-filled lesions will cover the body for days to weeks before it heals.
The outbreak in Africa started in the Congo (DRC) began over ten years ago with the spread of an endemic strain, known as clade I.
However a new variant, clade Ib, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, including sexual contact.
Spread to Four Countries
Subtype of clade 1, known as clade 1b, was picked up in 2023, and since then has spread to four countries surrounding to the DRC.
Those countries include Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda all nations which had not reported mpox before, causing concern throughout Africa.
The more dangerous strain, which appears to be spreading mainly through sexual networks, is one of the main reasons the WHO declared Mpox a public health emergency.
In the Summer of 2024, the WHO reports, over 100 laboratory-confirmed cases of clade 1b identified in these four East African countries.
Although the real numbers of infected individuals is likely to be much higher as many people with Mpox-like symptoms have not been tested.
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Immunization Against Mpox
Vaccines specifically to provide immunization against Mpox are being developed around the world, however nothing has been made available to date.
The net step is to have these medical treatments used in clinical human trials, a necessary step before getting any medicine into commercial production.
An invitation for vaccine manufacturers to express their interest in listing their anti-mpox shots for emergency use was announced by the WHO on 7 August.
Similar Viruses
Two years ago in August 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, issued an emergency use licence for a new type of smallpox vaccine to be used against mpox infection.
The rationale behind the decision to use anti-smallpox jabs against mpox, is because the two diseases are caused by similar viruses.
Global vaccine equity will ensure that countries in continents with the biggest increases in Mpox infections see the most vaccine injections being used to contain the spread.
