2024-08-14 18:02:50
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday the current outbreak of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (CDC), and which has spread to other neighboring countries, as an emergency the health of the whole world.
This is the second time in two years that mpox disease has been considered a global health threat, the alarm was raised at the beginning of June last year after its spread was contained and the situation was considered to be under control.
In that outbreak, cases reached Europe and North America.
WHO stated that this time the outbreaks are not the result of the spread of the same variant of the virus, but of more than one, and that different levels of risk and spread have also been observed, while it is almost Two years ago the move was almost exclusive. by sexual means.
The director general of the WHO, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made this statement after receiving a recommendation in this case from the Emergency Committee of this organization, a group of independent scientists from different parts of the world in charge of analyzing whether the epidemic outbreak may involve . global health.
In a press conference, Tedros explained that in addition to the outbreak in the DRC, it is very worrying that the disease has spread to countries with unprecedented events, such as Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya.
“A coordinated international response is essential to contain the outbreak and save lives,” the WHO chief said.
All the members of the Emergency Committee agree that the new mpox outbreak is a “shocking event”, among other things because of the speed with which the cases have increased in the DRC, where such a high number of infections has not been seen since the seventies.
WHO has received notifications of 14,000 cases and 524 deaths this year, although the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC) has indicated that cases rose to 17,000.
Likewise, there is concern that more and more cases are observed among children and high mortality in this age group, a change compared to the 2022 outbreak that mainly affects older men.
The Emergency Committee also considers the risk of the virus flying again from other regions, which is why actions are needed not only in Africa, but also in the rest of the world.
Keys to the mpox outbreak in Africa
Here are the keys to understanding the new health crisis:
Where is the current outbreak occurring?
According to Africa CDC, an agency dependent on the African Union (AU), the continent has recorded more than 15,000 infections and 461 deaths from this disease in a total of 18 countries until 2024.
The main focus of the epidemic is in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where a large outbreak has gone since the beginning of the year, according to WHO data – more updated than that of the African organization -, more than 14,000 cases and that at least 524 deaths.
Cases have been reported for the first time in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, while still in the DRC, where the disease is widespread, infections have been observed in previously unaffected areas.
The Central African Republic (CAR) was the last African country to declare an mpox outbreak on August 1, while cases have also been identified in South Africa, Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Liberia and Nigeria.
What type of mpox is responsible for this crisis?
Until now, two variants of mpox have been identified: 1, more vulnerable and with a mortality rate of between 3 and 4%; and 2, which is harmless and has a mortality rate of around 0.1%.
While the second is what caused the global outbreak that came out in 2022, the current crisis in Africa is mainly due to the variant of the first one known as 1b, which can lead to an even stronger epidemic than it has experience in the last year if no special measures are taken. is accepted.
How dangerous is the situation?
“Mpox is real, it affects our countries. People are dying. We need to face that (…) We learned from Covid-19 and we don’t want to repeat the same mistake,” the director general of the CDC for Africa, Jean Kaseya, warned last week, warning about the rapid pace of the spread of the disease that. disease
According to data shared by Kaseya, between 2023 and 2024 there is a 160% increase in mpox cases in Africa. That is, this year “more than double what is in 2023 and even more.”
This important growth is what led the general manager of OMSTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, to call a meeting of the Emergency Committee. Based on his recommendations, Ethiopia will announce whether or not the declaration of a health emergency of international scale has been declared again.
The answer
“To stop these outbreaks, adaptation (to each situation) and a global response will be important, with communities at the center,” Tedros said this Wednesday when he opened the aforementioned meeting in Geneva.
In this sense, the director general of the African CDC revealed on Tuesday that more than ten million doses of vaccines will be needed to contain the emergency, a figure that is far from the 200,000 available at the moment.
What is mpox, formerly called monkeypox?
- The mpox virus is responsible for an infectious disease that can cause swollen and painful glands or skin irritation, including pimples or blisters.
- Symptoms of the disease, which can be fatal but can be prevented and treated if diagnosed in time, include fever, headache, muscle and back pain, chills and fatigue.
- The virus is spread by direct or indirect contact with blood, body fluids, skin lesions or mucous membranes of infected animals.
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