(NewsNation) — The World Health Organization says the ongoing mpox outbreak spreading across Africa is now a global health emergency, declaring the current strain more serious than the one that broke out in 2022.
There have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in Africa this year, which already exceeds last year’s figures, according to the WHO. More than 96% of all cases and deaths are in a single country: the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
What is mpox?
Mpox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus. It spreads between people mainly through close contact and can also occasionally spread from the environment to people via things and surfaces that have been touched by a person with mpox.
In settings where the monkeypox virus is present among some wild animals, it can also be transmitted from infected animals to people who have contact with them, according to the WHO.
Common symptoms of mpox include a rash lasting for 2 to 4 weeks. This may start with or be followed by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen glands.
The rash looks like blisters or sores and can affect the face, palms of the hands, soles of the feet, groin, genital and, or anal regions. These lesions may also be found in the mouth, throat, anus, rectum or vagina, or on the eyes. The number of sores can range from one to several thousand, the WHO says.
What does mpox look like?
Mpox can cause a range of symptoms, including a rash, fever and headache, but in some cases, the illness can be severe and lead to death.
Newborn babies, children, people who are pregnant and people with underlying immune deficiencies such as from advanced HIV disease may be at higher risk of more serious mpox disease and death.
Severe cases of mpox could include larger and more widespread lesions, particularly in the mouth, eyes and genitals and secondary bacterial infections of the skin or blood or lung infections.
Severe bacterial infections from skin lesions caused by mpox could affect the brain, heart, lungs and eyes. People with extreme cases of mpox could require hospitalization, supportive care and antiviral medicines to reduce the severity of lesions.
According to available data from the WHO, between 0.1% and 10% of people with mpox have died. It is important to note that death rates in different settings may differ due to several factors, such as access to health care and underlying immunosuppression.
Does mpox have a vaccine?
There is an mpox vaccine that provides protection after two doses. People are advised to get the vaccine only if they are at a high risk of contracting mpox.
Smallpox vaccines have also been found to protect against mpox, though it isn’t clear if either of these vaccines will be effective against the new mpox variant, according to NewScientist.
Countries where mpox has been reported currently have minimal to no vaccine supplies, though estimates suggest the region needs 10 million doses, said Jimmy Whitworth at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in a statement.
Where is the mpox outbreak happening?
The epicenter of the latest mpox outbreak is in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but the variant has now spread to at least 11 other African countries, including four that had previously never reported mpox: Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. Mpox has also been detected in one person in Sweden.
The global outbreak of pox in 2022 also had its origins in Africa, but the recent rise in cases in the DRC and neighboring countries has triggered concern as it appears to be more serious than the previous strain.
“The strain circulating in the DRC (Clade I) is more virulent, meaning that it’s more likely to cause severe disease than the strain seen in Nigeria (Clade II) that was responsible for the 2022 outbreak and continues to circulate at a low level in the U.S. and Europe,” Harvard professor of medicine Daniel Kuritzkes told Harvard Medicine News.