Global emergency declared due to mpox virus

• Mpox emergency declared
• WHO reports increase in cases
• What does this virus cause?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global health emergency due to outbreaks of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) in Congo and other regions of Africa.

This declaration comes in response to the alarming spread of the virus, with confirmed cases in both children and adults in more than a dozen countries.

And the emergence of a new variant of the virus that is spreading rapidly, reported The Associated Press.

The situation is exacerbated by the shortage of vaccine doses available on the African continent.

GLOBAL EMERGENCY DECLARED FOR MPOX

Earlier this week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) stated that mpox outbreaks constitute a public health emergency.

This is due to more than 500 deaths reported, according to the preliminary report from the authorities.

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The organization has urgently requested international support to curb the spread of the virus.

«This is something that should concern us all. The possibility of further spread within Africa and beyond is very concerning,» said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO.

How many cases were detected?

Data from CDC Africa indicates that monkeypox has been detected in 13 countries this year, with Congo as the epicenter of the crisis.

Over 96% of the cases and deaths have occurred in this country, with a 160% increase in cases and a 19% increase in deaths compared to the same period last year.

To date, more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths have been recorded. South African infectious disease expert and chair of the CDC Africa emergency group, Salim Karim, spoke on the matter.

«We now find ourselves in a situation where mpox poses a risk to many more neighbors in Central Africa and its surroundings,» stated Salim Abdool Karim.

A more dangerous variant?

Karim warned that the new variant of mpox spreading from Congo has a mortality rate of about 3-4%, compared to less than 1% in previous outbreaks.

Michael Marks, a professor of medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, emphasized that the emergency declaration is justified.

Only if it results in greater international support to contain the crisis.

«It is a failure of the global community that things had to reach such a point that it was not possible to release the necessary resources,» criticized Marks.

Who are the most affected by the mpox virus?

In Congo, nearly 70% of mpox cases affect children under 15 years old, who account for 85% of the disease-related deaths.

Jacques Alonda, an epidemiologist working with international charities in Congo, expressed his concern about the spread of mpox.

Especially in refugee camps in the east of the country, which is in the midst of a conflict, AP reported.

Alonda recounted the case of a six-week-old baby who contracted the virus due to overcrowding in a hospital, where they shared a room with an undiagnosed infected person.

In which countries was the mpox virus identified?

Save the Children has warned that Congo’s healthcare system is already «collapsing» due to the pressure from malnutrition, measles, and cholera.

WHO recently reported that mpox has been identified in four new countries in East Africa: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, all related to the outbreak in Congo.

In Ivory Coast and South Africa, outbreaks of a less dangerous version of mpox that spread globally in 2022 have been recorded, highlighted AP.

Scientists have reported the emergence of a new, more lethal variant of mpox, with a mortality rate that could reach 10%.

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