Mpox Outbreak: The World Health Organization stated Wednesday that the increasing spread of mpox in Africa constitutes a global health emergency, warning that the virus may eventually spread over international borders.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the declaration following a meeting of the United Nations health agency’s emergency committee. On Tuesday, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared mpox a public health emergency across the continent.
According to WHO, there have been over 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in Africa this year, which is already higher than the previous year.
So far, Congo accounts for more than 96% of all cases and deaths. Scientists are concerned about the spread of a new type of the disease, which may be more easily transferred among people.
Here’s what we know about mpox and what can be done to contain it:
What is mpox?
Doctors discovered mpox, also known as monkeypox, in 1958 after epidemics of a “pox-like” disease in monkeys. Up until recently, people in central and western Africa who had close contact with infected animals reported the majority of human cases.
For the first time in 2022, the virus was proved to transmit through intercourse, resulting in epidemics in more than 70 countries that had never experienced mpox before.
Mpox is in the same virus family as smallpox, but it causes milder symptoms such as fever, chills, and body pains. People with severe cases may develop lesions on their faces, hands, chests, and genitals.
What’s happening in Africa that’s causing all this concern?
The number of instances has increased considerably. Last Monday, the Africa CDC stated that mpox has been found in at least 13 African countries. According to the organization, cases are up 160% over the same period last year, while deaths are up 19%.
Scientists claimed earlier this year that a new type of mpox has emerged in a Congolese mining town, capable of killing up to 10% of individuals and spreading more easily.
Unlike past mpox outbreaks, which primarily affected the chest, hands, and feet, the new variant of mpox caused milder symptoms and lesions on the genital area. As a result, HPV becomes more difficult to detect, and people may infect others without realizing it.
According to WHO, mpox was recently found for the first time in four East African countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda. All of the outbreaks were linked to the Congo epidemic. Tedros expressed alarm about the disease’s further spread within Africa and abroad.
Health officials in the Ivory Coast and South Africa have detected outbreaks of a different, less serious strain of mpox, which is expected to spread globally in 2022.
What does an emergency declaration mean?
The WHO’s emergency declaration aims to inspire action from donor agencies and countries. However, the global response to past statements has been uneven.
The Africa CDC’s Director General, Dr. Jean Kaseya, declared the agency’s public health emergency to “mobilize our institutions, collective will, and resources to act swiftly and decisively.” He requested assistance from Africa’s international allies, asserting that the continent’s growing caseload had largely gone unnoticed.
“It’s clear that current control strategies aren’t working, and there is an obvious need for more resources,” said Michael Marks, a professor of medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Mr. Trump asserted that a global emergency declaration is the necessary mechanism to unlock these things.
What distinguishes the present outbreak in Africa from the 2022 epidemic?
Gay and bisexual men made up the vast majority of patients during the global mpox outbreak in 2022, and close contact, including sex, was the primary method of virus transmission.
Although comparable patterns have been observed in Africa, children under the age of 15 currently account for more than 70% of all mpox cases and 85% of deaths in Congo.
Prior to the emergency conference, Tedros stated that officials were dealing with many mpox outbreaks in numerous nations, each with “different modes of transmission and different levels of risk.”
“Stopping these outbreaks will require a tailored and comprehensive response,” according to him.
Save the Children’s Congo director Greg Ramm expressed concern over the development of mpox in the packed refugee camps in the east, stating that 345,000 children were “crammed into tents in unsanitary conditions.” He claimed the country’s health-care system was already “collapsing” under the weight of starvation, measles, and cholera.
Dr. Boghuma Titanji, an infectious disease researcher at Emory University, expressed uncertainty about the disproportionate impact of mpox on children in Congo. She speculated that it could be because children are more susceptible to the virus, or that social factors such as overcrowding and exposure to parents who have contracted the illness may be to blame.
How might mpox be stopped?
The use of vaccines and treatments in wealthy countries, along with educating individuals to avoid dangerous behavior, largely contained the 2022 mpox outbreak in dozens of nations. However, very few vaccines or therapies have been accessible in Africa.
According to Marks of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, immunization, especially vaccination against smallpox, a similar virus, would most likely be beneficial.
“We need a large supply of vaccine so that we can vaccinate the populations most at risk,” he added, adding that this would include sex workers, children, and individuals living in outbreak areas.
Congo has stated that it is in talks with donors about potential vaccine donations and has received some financial assistance from Britain and the United States.
WHO had already provided $1.45 million from its emergency fund to support the response to mpox in Africa, but it stated that an initial $15 million is required to fund the response.
Also Read: EU To Issue Travel Warnings As The Mpox Risk In Africa Escalates
