The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared mpox a global health emergency for the second time since 2022.
A new strain of the virus spreading in central Africa has killed at least 537 people.
The WHO is now warning that the current outbreak could spread beyond Africa.
Here’s what you need to know.
Mpox
Mpox is mostly spread through close or prolonged skin-to-skin contact.
Symptoms of the virus include fever and rashes. It can also cause severe headaches, sore muscles, and skin lesions.
Most cases cause mild illness, but mpox can be especially serious for young immunocompromised or pregnant people.
Vaccination is an effective prevention method. However, mpox immunisation access is limited in some countries.
Africa
Earlier this week, Africa’s Centre for Disease Control declared a public health emergency due to a spike in mpox cases across multiple countries.
More than 15,600 cases have been recorded, resulting in at least 537 deaths.
The majority of cases have been detected in central Africa, around the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda.
Clade II
In 2022, the WHO called a public health emergency over ‘Clade II mpox’. It was officially downgraded in May 2023.
Clade is another term for ‘strain’.
Now, clade I, a different strain, is spreading in central Africa.
The U.S. Health Department said clade I “tends to cause a higher number of severe infections and have a higher mortality rate than clade II mpox”.
WHO
WHO director-general Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus announced the mpox outbreak in Africa could have serious global consequences.
“The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying,” Ghebreyesus said.
The number of mpox cases recorded this year has already surpassed the total for 2023.
Australia
More than 200 cases have been reported in Australia so far this year, nearly half of which have been detected in Victoria.
In 2023, there were 26 confirmed cases.
The Federal Health Department has warned people to get vaccinated if they’re travelling to a country where there is an outbreak.
Anyone who’s been in physical contact with a person confirmed to have mpox, men who have sex with men, and sex workers are at the greatest risk of infection.
