United States: After a mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, expanding to neighboring countries, the World Health Organization announced a global public health emergency for the second time in the span of two years.
More about the news
With the onslaught of new cases, several new countries have been reported, including Thailand, the Philippines, Sweden, and Pakistan.
As per the experts, the latest cases in Africa are seen from the new and deadlier strain, clade 1b, as CNBC reported.
More about mpox
Mpox is a viral infection that spreads via close proximity contact, like sexual engagement. Among various symptoms, common ones include fever, chills, and muscle aches. These are accompanied by lesions filled with pus.
There are two main kinds of mpox, called clades, and the latest variety is called clade 1.
Currently, the strain is seen to be highly contagious with a higher fatality rate, as compared to clade 2, spread in 2022. The virus disproportionately affects young people, where most deaths occur in children.
High rise in prevailing cases
As per the WHO, a newer strain, called clade 1b, an offshoot of clade 1, is the main reason behind the recent rise in cases.
According to the WHO’s statement, “The outbreak associated with clade Ib in the DRC primarily affects adults and is spreading rapidly, sustained largely, but not exclusively, through transmission linked to sexual contact and amplified in networks associated with commercial sex and sex workers,” as CNBC reported.
About WHO declaration
The WHO’s “public health emergency of international concern” status is its highest designation and aims for accelerated international public health measures and cooperation to contain disease.
The WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’s declaration, made on August 14, stated, “It’s clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” as CNBC reported.
He continued, “The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of mpox in eastern DRC, its detection in neighboring countries that had not previously reported mpox, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying.”
However, Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO’s regional director for Europe, stresses that Mpox is “not the new Covid.”
“We can, and must, tackle mpox together — across regions and continents,” Kluge added.