Amid growing international concern, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared last week that mpox represents a public health emergency of international concern. This virus showed an alarming increase in Africa so far this year, with an increase of 160% in reported cases compared to the previous year.
However, the director for Europe of the OMS, Hans Kluge, He stated yesterday that mpox should not be equated with SARS-Cov-2a virus that causes the disease covid-19, and that there is enough knowledge about this disease to combat it.
“mpox is not the new Covid. Whether it is mpox clade I, which caused the current epidemic in central and eastern Africa, or mpox clade II, which caused the 2022 epidemic″ worldwide, he said at a press conference of the agencies of the HIM.
MPOX is transmitted primarily through close contact with infected animals or people, and in some cases, through sexual contact and from mother to fetus. Although animal-to-human transmission of clade I has not been confirmed, the strain appears to spread efficiently among humans, prompting specialists to investigate possible genetic differences that may be responsible for the transmission of mpox. could explain the variability of the disease between clades.
Mpox, first discovered in monkeys in 1958, is endemic to central and western Africa. However, the current outbreak has revealed significant differences between its variants, known as clades. While clade II is better known and less dangerous, clade I, especially its variant Ib, has proven to be more severe and is severely affecting countries such as Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
The outbreak has a disproportionate impact on women and children, with hospitals being overwhelmed and even newborns being affected. Entire families are being decimated in some regions, and health workers are facing a multidimensional challenge in their attempt to cope.itigar the crisis.
At the international level, the WHO urged the global community to remain on high alert and stressed the need for greater cooperation between countries to curb the spread of the virus.
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2024-08-24 03:48:11