WHO declares mpox, caused by monkeypox virus, a global emergency: What you need to know
The World Health Organization has declared mpox, an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a global health emergency following a surge of cases in Africa, officials announced Wednesday.
The declaration follows mpox outbreaks in 13 African nations, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Central African Republic and other nations.
It's the second time in two years the WHO has issued an emergency for the mpox virus. New forms of the virus, known as clade I and clade Ib, appear to spread more easily through routine close contact, including sexual contact, Reuters reported.
More than 17,000 cases have been reported across Africa in 2024, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s a significant increase of the 14,957 cases in 2023 and 7,146 cases in 2022.
Africa CDC has reported 500 deaths and asked for international medical help.
Mpox surges in African nations
The alert, known as a public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, is the highest level of alarm under international health law, WHO says.
The potential for further spread in Africa is worrying, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general.
Total global mpox cases since 2022
What is mpox?
Mpox, formerly called monkeypox, is caused by infection with the monkeypox virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus is similar to the one that causes smallpox, the CDC says. It is not related to chickenpox.
The disease is zoonotic, which means it can be spread from vertebrate animals to humans. However, more human-to-human transmissions have been reported since 2016, according to Politico.
Is mpox in the US?
The global mpox outbreak in 2022 was caused by a different strain of mpox, clade II, which is still present in the U.S. and elsewhere, Reuters said.
No cases from clade I have been reported outside of central or eastern Africa, the CDC said in an alert last week. It said the spread in the U.S. was a “very low risk" at this time.
How mpox spreads so easily
Mpox is usually passed to humans from rodents and primates, through bites, aerosol transmission or contact with infected fluids.
Person-to-person transmission is usually through close contact with respiratory secretions, inflected skin lesions or recently contaminated objects, according to the WHO.
Common symptoms of mpox
The mpox illness lasts two to four weeks. Within one to three days of infection, a patient will develop a facial rash that spreads to other parts of the body, the CDC said. The fluid-filled lesions go through a series of stages before drying out and falling off.
The incubation period, the time between infection and symptoms, is usually 6 to 13 days but can be 5 to 21 days.
Symptoms of mpox include:
Mpox symptoms, while similar to smallpox, are less severe, WHO says. Those infected with mpox often get rashes and other symptoms. Rashes go through several stages, including scabs, before healing, the CDC says.
About 10 million vaccine doses are needed for the outbreaks in Africa, according to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
Tedros said WHO had released $1.5 million in contingency funds and planned to release more in the coming days. WHO's response would require an initial $15 million, and the agency plans to appeal to donors for funding.
Contributing: Eduardo Cuevas
Source: Paste BN Network reporting and research; Reuters; World Health Organization; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention