2024-01-08 19:45:12
MPOX Virus Spreading Rapidly in Congo
By: Teresa Toth
As of: January 8, 2024, 6:45 p.m
The MPOX virus is spreading rapidly in Congo. More than 1,000 cases are reported every month, raising concerns about a potential new global health crisis.
In 2022, the MPOX virus began spreading internationally from Africa, with Europe being particularly affected. However, the state of emergency only lasted a year, and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the emergency over. Now, the disease appears to be spreading rapidly again.
“We are concerned that there is international transmission,” said Rosamund Lewis, a WHO specialist, in Geneva. She pointed out that a “rapid” increase in cases has been detected in Congo and that outbreaks have now also been recorded in some Asian countries. The virus poses “a risk to people in DRC, in neighboring countries and around the world,” according to the WHO assessment.
MPOX, also known as monkeypox, is a viral infection that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Person-to-person transmission can occur through close contact, such as during sexual intercourse. Compared to smallpox, MPOX infections are usually much milder, but they can also be severe and, in rare cases, fatal.
In Kinshasa, authorities have already registered over 13,000 suspected cases this year, with over 600 fatalities. What is particularly alarming is that, for the first time, more women than men are affected in the regions affected by the epidemic. Lewis suspects this may be related to sex work in Congo. The WHO is intensively working on the development of a vaccine to combat the outbreak.
The disease began to leave Africa in May 2022 and spread primarily in Europe, particularly affecting men who had sexual contact with men. The WHO declared an international health emergency, which was lifted in May 2023. However, the number of reported cases has been increasing again in recent months, from around 100 cases per month in June, July, and August to now “more than 1,000 per month”. Asian countries such as Japan, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia are particularly affected, where outbreaks are increasingly being reported.
The situation is of great concern, and healthcare authorities are intensifying efforts to contain the spread of the virus.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at her own discretion. All information has been carefully checked.]
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