The World Health Organisation has called an emergency meeting in order to address an international outbreak of the deadly monkeypox virus.
Since the current strain of the virus was first detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo in April, it has evolved to become even more infectious and deadly – killing up to one in 10 people who catch it.
Now the virus has spread outside of the DRC, prompting the WHO to call on public health experts to advise ‘on whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern.’
The DRC is home to a densely packed population that frequently travels and moves across borders, and in the past month, at least 50 Mpox cases have been reported in four other countries bordering the DRC – Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda- which have not been affected before.
As with previous Mpox outbreaks, the new strain predominantly affects men who have sex with men, and those with multiple sex partners like sex workers.
WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told experts his organisation was working with Africa’s CDC and non-governmental agencies to ‘understand and address the drivers of these outbreaks.’
‘Stopping transmission will require a comprehensive response, with communities at the centre,’ he added.
Mpox caused an international epidemic in 2022 when it spread to more than 100 countries and killed hundreds of people – including 58 Americans.
The 2022 outbreak was caused by the ‘clade 2 strain,’ which is rarely fatal.
But the current strain, known as ‘clade 1a,’ is much more deadly, killing one in every 10 people affected.
Now a further strain of the virus, ‘clade 1b’ has spread beyond the DRC and has been spotted in Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
The viral strain found in Burundi is still being analysed.
Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the DRC has been ‘experiencing a severe outbreak of Mpox,’ since early this year, recording over 14,000 cases of the virus and at least 511 deaths.
While the DRC has experienced Mpox outbreaks for decades, Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the number of cases has surged in 2024 – with more recorded in the first six months of this year than in all of 2023.
Symptoms of Mpox include a rash, skin lesions, fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain and swollen lymph nodes.
There is no direct cure for Mpox, but doctors aim to treat its symptoms, including clearing up the rash and managing pain.
It is spread through physical contact, such as kissing or sex, animals when cooking them, contaminated materials and pregnant women who can spread it to a fetus.
Severe cases of Mpox can be deadly.
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