By Spy Uganda
The World Health Organization declared an mpox outbreak in Africa an emergency this week, and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), an EU agency, said on Friday that further imported cases to Europe were “highly likely”.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) announced the first-ever Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (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 epicenter 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.
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 Is New?
The latest surge has been of the deadlier clade 1 — and its new mutated variant.
The new strain, called clade 1b, was first detected among sex workers in the DRC in September 2023.
Sweden this week reported the first case of the variant outside of Africa, and the EU’s health body urged countries to increase preparedness. Pakistan reported Asia’s first case.
“It is not surprising… that travel between continents has brought this case to Europe,” said Brian Ferguson, an Associate Professor of Immunology, University of Cambridge.
He added that cases were likely to spike in Europe and elsewhere as “there are currently no mechanisms in place to stop imported cases of mpox”.
Containing the epidemic will require “rapid international co-operation”, said Francois Balloux of the University College of London Genetics Institute — adding there was “no evidence of transmission in Europe at this stage”.
Who Is Affected?
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.
Where Is Affected?
According to WHO data, there were more mpox cases reported in the first half of this year than in all of 2023 combined.
The DRC has seen the majority of recent incidents, with 548 individuals dying this year, according to the authorities.
The Africa CDC reports outbreaks in formerly untouched countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. No deaths have been reported, according to the WHO.
Nigeria has reported 39 instances of a milder variant of mpox this year, health officials said Friday.
This week, Sweden and Pakistan confirmed the first cases of mpox outside of Africa, with the WHO warning that more cases of the novel strain were anticipated in Europe.
Is There A Vaccine?
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’s CDC head, Jean Kaseya, announced an agreement with the European Union and Danish manufacturer Bayer Nordic to distribute 200,000 tablets across the continent.
Although that is insufficient, Kaseya stated during a media briefing that Africa could get an additional 10 million immunizations.
Bavarian Nordic announced Friday that it was seeking European approval to deploy its mpox vaccine in youngsters aged 12 to 17.
