16/08/2024
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the mpox outbreak in Africa as a global health emergency, highlighting concerns over a highly infectious variant.
This declaration follows one from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. Notably, Sweden and Pakistan have reported their initial cases, marking the spread of this more contagious strain beyond Africa. To date, there have been nearly 100,000 reported cases and 1,100 deaths in 116 countries since 2022.
The outbreak involves two strains of the virus in Congo: an endemic version and a newer, less understood variant. This variant has spread through s*xual and close contact, affecting even children in displacement camps across Congo and neighboring countries like Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi, and Kenya.
Transmission of mpox can occur through direct contact with infected lesions, contaminated items like clothing or linens, and animal-to-human interactions such as bites or when handling wildlife.
Symptoms, appearing 1 to 21 days post-exposure, include rashes, fever, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes, generally resolving within 2-4 weeks. The disease is more severe for those with compromised immune systems.
This heightened alert follows the identification of a new mpox strain that is reportedly more contagious and deadly than previous ones. The two mpox clades vary significantly in severity; Clade II, from West Africa, has a fatality rate of up to 1%, whereas Clade I from Central Africa can see fatality rates of up to 10%.
In response to the escalating situation, WHO aims to mobilize international resources to contain the disease at its source. Additionally, global surveillance and open-source epidemic intelligence are critical, particularly in regions with limited testing capabilities. This approach may help preempt the spread of the disease by monitoring symptoms like rashes and fever across populations.
