An outbreak of a new mpox virus with “pandemic potential” broke out near an international airport, raising fears it could spread to Europe.
Around 130 children and teenagers have tested positive for the new, highly contagious strain in refugee camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in Central Africa.
The clade I strain detected in the DRC causes more severe disease than the clade II virus known to trigger the global outbreak in 2022.
It is also more deadly, with a mortality rate of around five percent in adults and 10 percent in children, compared to three percent for its predecessor.
Since the start of 2024, more than 12,300 suspected cases, including 479 deaths, have been reported in the country, according to medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Many children have been infected, including newborns during pregnancy.
In April, alarm bells were sounded when scientists discovered a new strain of mpox with “pandemic potential.”
Dubbed clade 1b, the virus appears to be better at spreading between people, mainly through sexual contact.
Unlike previous varieties, it is also good for transmission just through daily touching.
Current research suggests that the new bug has developed mutations that escape detection by some existing tests.
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,” Ben Oppenheim, a global health expert and senior director at US company Concentric by Ginkgo, 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.
In fact, the virus is already crossing borders, added Trudie Lang, professor of global health research at the University of Oxford.
The virus has been officially declared in some countries neighboring Congo, Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda.
“It is quite possible that infected and infectious people could board a flight and transmit the disease elsewhere,” explained Professor Trudie.
What is MPox?
Smallpox, formally known as monkeypox, is a viral infection that spreads through close contact, causing flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions.
A milder version of mpox triggered a global epidemic in 2022, when it spread to more than 100 countries – including the UK.
Symptoms of mpox include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, swollen lymph nodes, chills, and exhaustion.
A rash may occur, usually starting on the face, which then spreads to other parts of the body, including the genitals.
The rash may look like chickenpox or syphilis, and scabs may form and then fall off.
The incubation period is usually six to 13 days, but can range from five to 21 days.
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.
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).
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
