The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, a global public health emergency for the second time in two years.
This announcement comes in response to an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has rapidly spread to neighboring African countries.
The designation of a “public health emergency of international concern” is the highest alert level issued by the WHO.
This status not only highlights the severity of the situation but also serves to accelerate international efforts in research, funding, and public health interventions to curb the disease’s spread.
Earlier in the week, Africa’s leading public health institution, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had also declared mpox an emergency.
The agency raised concerns over the alarming rate at which the virus was spreading. According to the Africa CDC, over 17,000 suspected cases and 517 deaths have been reported across the continent this year alone, marking a staggering 160% increase compared to the same period in the previous year.
The outbreak has now affected 13 African nations.
Mpox is caused by two distinct viral strains, referred to as clades I and II. The infection can spread through close personal contact with an infected individual, or through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated materials.
The recent outbreak in the DRC is linked to clade I, a strain endemic to central Africa known for its high transmissibility. This particular clade is notorious for causing severe illness, with previous outbreaks resulting in a fatality rate of up to 10%.
The current crisis is further complicated by the emergence of a new variant of clade I, known as clade Ib, which appears to be more easily transmitted through routine close contact, including sexual contact.
This variant has already spread beyond the DRC, affecting countries like Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, prompting the WHO’s latest emergency declaration.
“It’s clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
In contrast, a strain of clade II was responsible for the global mpox outbreak in 2022.
This clade typically causes milder infections, with a survival rate exceeding 99.9%, as reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
However, it can still result in severe illness, particularly among individuals with compromised immune systems. The specific variant that led to the 2022 emergency, clade IIb, predominantly spread through sexual contact among men who have sex with men.
The WHO lifted the 2022 emergency declaration after 10 months, as cases in the United States and other regions declined significantly.
In the U.S., the average number of daily mpox cases had dropped to zero by the week ending August 1, 2024.
Despite this, the CDC issued a recent warning, advising healthcare providers to be vigilant for mpox symptoms in individuals who have recently traveled to the DRC or neighboring countries.
While clade I has not yet been reported outside central and eastern Africa, the CDC emphasized the potential risk of further transmission.
Mpox typically presents with a rash that can resemble chickenpox, syphilis, or herpes, progressing from small bumps to fluid-filled blisters. Other common symptoms include fever, headaches, muscle pain, back pain, fatigue, and swollen lymph nodes.
While a vaccine for mpox is available in the United States, it remains largely inaccessible in the DRC.
The CDC recommends that individuals exposed to the virus, or those at elevated risk of infection—such as men who have sex with men—receive two doses of the vaccine, which is effective against both clades of the virus.
