Europe sees low risk of spread of the new Mpox variant
Published: Thursday, Aug 15th 2024, 09:50
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The World Health Organization (WHO) is sounding the alarm: due to a new variant of Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, in Africa, it has declared a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" (PHEIC) and thus activated its highest alert level. What does this mean?
WHAT DOES THE EMERGENCY MEAN?
The emergency declaration has no concrete consequences. Rather, it is intended to alert authorities around the world so that they can prepare for possible outbreaks.
However, it shows that the EHO sees the risk of Mpox spreading internationally again after 2022 and becoming a health risk in several countries. The WHO followed the recommendation of independent Mpox experts who had met in the so-called Emergency Committee at the invitation of the WHO, as WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in Geneva.
WHY IS THE NEW VARIANT CAUSING CONCERN?
The WHO's concern relates, among other things, to a new virus variant that was discovered in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the end of 2023. It is a sublineage of Mpox clade I (Roman one), called Ib.
According to local experts, it is likely to be more contagious than previous variants and cause a more severe infection, said Dimie Ogoina, a Nigerian infectious disease specialist at Niger Delta University. He chaired the WHO emergency committee of independent experts who recommended that the WHO declare an emergency. Detailed studies are still pending.
According to Ogoina, the Ib variant spreads through sexual contact, among other things. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, however, young children in particular are also infected and account for the majority of deaths. This year, more than 14,000 suspected cases and more than 500 deaths have already been reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries - more than in the whole of last year. Ogoina warned that this may only be the tip of the iceberg because not enough testing is being done and not all infected people are seeing doctors. In recent weeks, clade I mpox has also been detected for the first time in Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Kenya.
HOW HIGH IS THE RISK OF THE NEW VARIANT SPREADING IN OUR COUNTRY?
The European health authority ECDC assessed the risk of the new variant spreading in Europe as "very low" at the end of July.
In Switzerland, numerous Mpox infections occurred for the first time in summer 2022. Since fall 2022, cases have only been reported sporadically, as the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) writes on its website. According to the WHO, 579 Mpox cases had been reported in Switzerland by the end of June. The last report dates back to February 2024.
ARE THERE VACCINATIONS AGAINST IT?
Yes, there are two vaccines. The vaccine against the smallpox virus also protects against infection with the Mpox virus. This virus is related to the classic smallpox virus (variola virus). It mainly causes a skin rash, but also fever and can be fatal, especially for children. According to the WHO, however, the problem is that there are nowhere near enough doses of the vaccine, especially in Africa.
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