AfriqueCAN:
The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighboring countries in Africa.
A “public health emergency of international concern,” or PHEIC, is the WHO’s highest level of alert, and it can accelerate research, funding and international public health measures and co-operation to contain the disease.
Earlier this week, Africa’s top public health body similarly declared mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, an emergency after warning that the viral infection was spreading at an alarming rate.
More than 17,000 suspected mpox cases and 517 deaths have been reported on the African continent so far this year, a 160% increase compared to the same period last year, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Cases have been reported in 13 countries.
Mpox has two distinct viral clades, I and II. Both versions can spread through close contact with an infected person or via direct contact with infected animals or contaminated materials.
The outbreak in Congo began with the spread of clade I, a strain that is endemic in central Africa and known to be more transmissible. Clade I can also cause more severe infections; previous outbreaks have killed up to 10% of people who got sick.
A new version of that strain, clade Ib, is now spreading and appears to be more easily transmissible through routine close contact, including sexual contact. It has spread from Congo to neighboring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, triggering the action from the WHO.
“It’s clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
A strain of clade II, meanwhile, was responsible for the global spread of mpox in 2022, which prompted the WHO to declare a public health emergency. Infections from that clade are far milder than those from clade I — more than 99.9% of people survive, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But it’s still capable of causing severe illness, particularly in people with weakened immune systems.
The version that spread in 2022 — largely through sexual contact among men who have sex with men — was known as clade IIb.
The WHO ended that emergency declaration 10 months later.
In the U.S., mpox cases have declined considerably since their peak in 2012. Average daily cases fell to zero in the week ending Aug. 1.