Mpox virus - updates: WHO declares outbreak a public health emergency of international concern

Dr Jonas Albarnaz, a research fellow specialising in pox viruses at the Pirbright Institute, said the case of clade 1b in Sweden “is concerning for two main reasons”.

“First, this is the first clade 1 mpox virus case outside Africa. This indicates that the extent of the international spread of clade 1 outbreak in DRC might be larger than we knew yesterday.

“And second, clade 1 mpox virus is associated with a more severe disease and higher mortality rates than the clade 2 virus responsible for the international mpox outbreak in 2022.”

Michael Marks, a professor of medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), said: “It’s clear that this is the largest outbreak of mpox reported from the region.

“It’s also the largest of the clade 1 mpox virus, which has traditionally been associated with a higher case fatality rate than clade 2, which caused the large global outbreak in 2022.”

The new strain of mpox is known as clade 1b and it emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last year, according to WHO.

The disease is now rapidly spreading to neighbouring countries in Africa, mainly through sexual networks, but one case has now been confirmed in Europe.

Health experts recommend to get vaccinated if you are at high risk and avoid contact with people who are affected.

To prevent the infection from spreading it is advised to wash your hands frequently and wear a face mask in crowded and indoor spaces.

The Philippines has detected its first case of mpox since the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued its highest alert over the virus last week.

It is the first reported case since December last year, Manila’s health department said on Monday, adding that it was awaiting test results beforebeing able to determine the strain.

The patient has been identified as a 33-year-old Filipino male with no travel history outside the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) said. “We are awaiting sequencing results and will update once available,” spokesperson Albert Domingo said.

The man’s symptoms started more than a week ago with fever, which was followed four days later by a “distinct rash on the face, back, nape, trunk, groin, as well as palms and soles”, the Philippine DOH said in a statement.

Read the full story below:

Experts said the new strain is “associated with a more severe disease and higher mortality rates” than the one that caused the global mpox outbreak in 2022.

Swedish health officials announced that there has been one confirmed case of clade 1b on Thursday.

The country’s public health agency said a patient sought healthcare in Stockholm and is understood to have been infected during a visit to Africa.

Chief medical officer professor Chris Whitty has met with government ministers to assess UK’s readiness for a potential outbreak of the new mpox variant.

The WHO has confirmed more than 17,000 mpox cases and 571 deaths in Africa this year after the new clade 1b variant emerged.

Pat McFadden, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, met with ministers from the Department for Health, Foreign Office and the UK’s chief medical officer Mr Whitty.

They discussed ways to “ensure sufficient plans are in place to deal with any potential cases”, Downing Street said.

Mpox was first detected in humans in the DRC in 1970 and is considered endemic to countries in Central and West Africa.

However, WHO said the recent surge of cases in DRC and its spread to neighbouring countries constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) on Wednesday.

According to WHO, mpox has been reported in DRC for more than 10 years, with the number of cases increasing steadily over the period.

So far in 2024, there have been more than 15,600 cases of mpox and 537 deaths, which the WHO said exceeds last year’s total.

There have also been 100 lab-confirmed cases of clade 1b in four countries neighbouring the DRC that have not reported mpox before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.

The first case of a new infectious strain of mpox has been detected in Europe after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared outbreaks in Africa a global emergency.

Experts said the new strain is “associated with a more severe disease and higher mortality rates” than the one that caused the global mpox outbreak in 2022.

The new strain of mpox is known as clade 1b and it emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last year, according to WHO.

The disease is now rapidly spreading to neighbouring countries in Africa, mainly through sexual networks, WHO said, with one case confirmed in Europe.

A public health emergency has been declared by the World Health Organisation over a new outbreak of mpox in several African nations, with at least three cases now reported outside of the continent.

Formerly known as monkeypox, the infection has been on the rise in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which accounts for 96 per cent of all cases in Africa.

More than 17,000 cases have now been confirmed across the continent, with the WHO saying the outbreak is of “international concern”.

The public health emergency was declared by the group’s director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The outbreak comes as a new strain is identified, named clade 1, said to be spreading mainly through sexual networks. WHO says it has been identified in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda – all countries that have never reported cases of mpox before.

Read the full story below: