HEALTH chiefs are poised to declare an international public health emergency as an ultra-deadly strain of mpox that can spread through touch begins crossing borders.
The strain was discovered in two new countries in recent weeks, following a rise in cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for months.
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Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, from the World Health Organization (WHO), wrote in X on Wednesday that experts are concerned that the mutant virus has “the potential for further international spread within and outside of Africa.”
He added: “I am considering convening an International Health Regulations emergency committee to advise me on whether the mpox outbreak should be declared a public health emergency of international concern.”
Mpox is a viral infection that causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions.
And until a few years ago, most cases were reported in Central and West Africa.
But in 2022, the WHO declared a public health emergency when a strain of mpox called clade 2 triggered the global outbreak that reached more than 100 countries – including the UK.
The DRC has been fighting its own variant, called “clade 1a” for decades.
This version is more deadly, with a mortality rate of around five percent in adults and 10 percent in children, compared to three percent for its predecessor.
In April, the alarm sounded when scientists found a new strain of mpox, easier to capture and with “pandemic potential” in Kamituga, a small mining town in the DRC.
The new bug, dubbed “clade 1b”, is behind a recent increase in cases in the east of the country.
The DRC has reported more than 29,000 cases and 1,100 deaths – the vast majority of them children – since the beginning of 2023.
At the end of last month, Kenya recorded a single case of clade 1b mpox.
And over the weekend, Uganda announced that its first two cases had been detected.
Rwanda and Burundi also recently reported their first cases of mpox, although it is not yet known which strain.
Like clade 2, the majority of new infections in the DRC appear to have been sexually transmitted.
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But there have also been cases of the new virus spreading just through touch in schools and workplaces.
Vaccines and treatments have previously been used to combat the global outbreak, but are not available in many countries, including Congo.
Earlier this month, authorities said it had arrived in the large city of Goma, which has an international airport that operates frequent direct flights to and from Europe.
“Pathogens don’t recognize borders,” says Ben Oppenheim, a global health expert and senior director at a North American company. Ginkgo Biosafetypreviously told the Sun.
“Goma is a major regional transit point, which increases the risk of the virus spreading regionally and potentially globally – including to Europe and the UK,” he said.
Trudie Lang, professor of global health research at the University of Oxford, added: “It is quite possible that people with the infection and who are infectious could board a flight and transmit the disease elsewhere.”
Symptoms of mpox that have nothing to do with blemishes
The most obvious symptom of mpox is the characteristic spots.
According to the NHS, these lesions go through four stages, from flat patches to raised patches, from blisters to scabs.
But people are also likely to experience flu-like symptoms, which will begin between five and 21 days after infection.
Symptoms usually improve on their own over two to four weeks.
The NHS says these include:
- Inflammation of the rectum (proctitis) – for example, pain or bleeding from the anus
- High temperature (fever)
- Headache
- Flu-like symptoms, including muscle and back pain, tremors, and tiredness
- Swollen glands that look like new lumps (on the neck, armpits, or groin)
If you have any of these symptoms and believe you may have monkeypox, stay home, avoid close contact with others, and seek medical help over the phone until you are evaluated.
There are some complications associated with mpox such as bacterial infection caused by skin lesions, mpox affecting the brain (encephalitis), heart (myocarditis) or lungs (pneumonia).
MPox in the UK
Government data showed that 3,553 cases of mpox were recorded in the UK in 2021.
The Department of Health said: “The outbreak has occurred primarily in gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men with no documented history of travel to endemic countries.”
But cases have fallen sharply over the past six months as a result of vaccination and testing.
At the time of writing, only 20 cases have been recorded in the UK in 2023.
I confused monkeypox with Covid – I’ve never felt so much pain
A MAN who caught mpox in 2022 first believed he had Covid before experiencing agonizing symptoms that made him fear for his life.
Harun Tulunay, a 35-year-old charity worker, experienced extreme symptoms that left him hospitalized for almost two weeks.
Harun, who lives in London, began experiencing flu-like symptoms in early June 2022, such as a high fever, chills and muscle pain.
Having recently contracted Covid, he was “convinced” he had contracted the virus again, he told The Sun. “But all the tests I’ve had have come back negative.”
A few days later, the charity worker developed a red and white rash on his body that resembled an allergic reaction, which he said “looked nothing like the pictures of monkeypox you see online”.
It wasn’t until a few days later that he also noticed a painless spot on his nose, which he assumed was a mosquito bite or pimple.
Harun works in sexual health, so he is well versed in monkeypox and its symptoms, but he had never seen the rash or patch associated with the disease and therefore didn’t think he could have it.
A few days later, Harun’s health worsened when his fever reached 40ºC. “No amount of painkillers would alleviate the pain,” he said.
It was at this point that Harun developed swollen tonsils and a severe sore throat.
“I couldn’t breathe, swallow or speak,” he said.
“I vividly remember calling the hospital and crying in pain.”
Harun was finally taken to the hospital, where he was placed in isolation.
His testing confirmed that he had monkeypox, and only then did lesions often associated with monkeypox begin to appear on his hands, legs, and feet.
“My throat was covered,” he said, explaining that the lesion on his nose was larger and became infected.
“I was scared I was going to die alone in my hospital room,” he said. “I have never felt so much pain in my life.”
“I remember looking at a bottle of water and crying because I couldn’t drink it,” he added.
Harun has now fully recovered.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
