LONDON — The World Health Organization declared on Wednesday that the increasing spread of mpox in Africa It is a global health emergencywarning that the virus could ultimately spread across international borders.
The announcement by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus came after a meeting of the UN health agency’s emergency committee. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday declared mpox a public health emergency on the continent.
The WHO said there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in Africa this year, already exceeding last year’s numbers.
So far, more than 96% of all cases and deaths occur in a single country: the Congo. Scientists are worried about the spread of a new version of the disease that could spread more easily between people.
Here’s a look at what we know about mpox and what could be done to contain it:
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, was first identified by scientists in 1958 when there were outbreaks of a “smallpox-like” disease in monkeys. Until recently, most human cases were seen in people in central and western Africa who had close contact with infected animals.
In 2022, it was confirmed that the virus spread through sex for the first time and triggered outbreaks in more than 70 countries around the world that had not previously reported mpox.
Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox, but causes milder symptoms such as fever, chills, and body aches. People with more severe cases may develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.
The number of cases has increased dramatically. Last weekThe Africa CDC reported that mpox has now been detected in at least 13 African countries. Compared to the same period last year, the agency said cases were up 160% and deaths were up 19%.
At the beginning of this year, Scientists reported the emergence of a new form of mpox in a Congolese mining town that can kill up to 10% of people and can spread more easily.
Unlike previous mpox outbreaks, where lesions were mainly seen on the chest, hands and feet, the new form of mpox causes milder symptoms and lesions on the genitals. That makes it harder to detect, which means people can also make others sick without knowing they are infected.
The WHO said mpox was recently identified for the first time in four East African countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. All of these outbreaks were related to the epidemic in the Congo. Tedros said there was concern about further spread of the disease within and outside Africa.
In Ivory Coast and South Africa, health authorities have reported outbreaks of a different, less dangerous version of mpox that is set to spread around the world in 2022.
The WHO emergency declaration is intended to galvanize donor agencies and countries into action. But the global response to previous statements has been mixed.
Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya said the agency’s public health emergency declaration was aimed at “mobilizing our institutions, our collective will and our resources to act quickly and decisively.” He called on Africa’s international partners for help, saying the growing number of cases in Africa had been largely ignored.
“It is clear that current control strategies are not working and there is a clear need for more resources,” said Michael Marks, professor of medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “If a (global emergency declaration) is the mechanism to unlock these things, then it’s justified,” he said.
During the global mpox outbreak in 2022, gay and bisexual men made up the vast majority of cases and the virus was primarily transmitted through close contact, including sex.
Although some similar patterns have been observed in Africa, children under 15 years of age now account for more than 70% of mox cases and 85% of deaths in the Congo.
Ahead of their emergency meeting, Tedros said officials were dealing with several mox outbreaks in several countries with “different modes of transmission and different levels of risk.”
“Stopping these outbreaks will require a comprehensive and tailored response,” he said.
Greg Ramm, director of Save the Children Congo, said the organization was particularly concerned about the spread of mpox in the overcrowded refugee camps in the east, noting that there were 345,000 children “crammed into tents in unsanitary conditions.” He said the country’s health system was already “collapsing” under the pressure of malnutrition, measles and cholera.
Dr. Boghuma Titanji, an infectious disease expert at Emory University, said it was unclear why children were so disproportionately affected by mpox in the Congo. He said it could be because children are more susceptible to the virus or that social factors, such as overcrowding and exposure to parents who contracted the disease, could explain it.
The 2022 mpox outbreak in dozens of countries was largely stopped by the use of vaccines and treatments in rich countries, as well as convincing people to avoid risky behavior. But there have hardly been any vaccines or treatments available in Africa.
Marks, of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said immunization would likely help, including inoculating people against smallpox, a related virus.
“We need a large supply of vaccines to be able to vaccinate the most at-risk populations,” he said, adding that would mean sex workers, children and adults living in regions with outbreaks.
Congo has said it is in talks with donors about possible vaccine donations and has received some financial help from Britain and the United States.
The WHO had already released $1.45 million from its emergency fund to support the mox response in Africa, but said it needs an initial $15 million to fund that response.
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Associated Press writer Christina Malkia in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed to this report.
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