Posted By :  Admin1

We are familiar with the term mpox that has replaced the stigmatising word monkeypox, a severe and contagious viral infection that apparently originated from Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Africa. The virus is a zoonosis that jumped to humans from rodents in the nearby forests in the 1970’s. We recall the PHEIC (Public Health Emergency of International Concern) declared by WHO in 2022 for Mpox outbreaks caused by Clade 1 of this virus, which essentially was confined to the MSM community (men having sex with men). Despite reaching multiple countries, Clade 1 did not spread into the general population, and settled down in ten months. 

However, the current outbreak is from Clade 1b of the virus, which is behaving differently. It is estimated to have jumped from animal to humans as recently as September 2023. 

Unlike the older clade 1, the current strain is spreading both among men and women through close and sexual contact. This time, children living in the household are also getting affected, and death rate is higher than the 2022 outbreak. This means the virus has acquired the potential to spread more efficiently in multiple neighbouring countries, and an early call for action will not only mobilise resources to contain the outbreak in Africa, but also prepare the world to tackle global spread in case it occurred. 

Africa CDC reports that the suspected cases in the first half of 2024 have exceeded 17,000, representing a four-fold increase since 2022. It has reached at least 13 countries within Africa already, and the true number could be higher. Africa CDC has therefore declared a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security (PHECS), and the WHO has declared a PHIEC Public Health Emergency of International Concern.