WHO declare a public health emergency:

The World Health Organization (WHO) have declared the mpox (monkeypox) outbreaks in parts of Africa as being a public health emergency deemed to be “of international concern”.

However, let's stop a moment and take stock. Of course, no one advocates any degree of complacency in situations like this but by the same token, getting ourselves overly wound up can potentially cause unnecessary panic. So, here are a few basic facts to chew over.

The facts:

It's true, mpox is a highly contagious disease, let’s not embellish it with any undue frills. Formerly known simply as monkeypox, mpox is a disease that has reportedly already killed at least 500 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone.

The disease is caused by a virus similar to that of smallpox but mpox is usually far less harmful.


Mpox was originally transmitted from animals to humans but now it also passes easily from person to person.

So what are the symptoms?

Once the associated fever breaks, a rash usually develops, often beginning on the face and then spreading to other parts of the body. Following the initial facial presentation, the rash then appears on the palms of hands and the soles of the feet.

Lesions are known to be extremely itchy or even painful, going through various stages before drying up and eventually forming a scab. Once healed, the scabs fall off, sometimes leaving some scarring. Infections clear up on their own but can last between 14 and up to 21 days.

In rare cases the disease can actually prove fatal, particularly for vulnerable groups including small children. Chronic cases can see the entire body being attacked, including eyes, the mouth and also the genitals.

Where are the mpox hotspots?

Mpox is most commonly identified in remote regions such as villages within the tropical rainforests of Central and West Africa. Countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo have witnessed mpox outbreaks for many years. Sadly, there have been several thousand mpox infections resulting in hundreds of deaths reported annually in these tropical regions of Africa. Children under the age of fifteen have been the most badly affected.

Fresh concerns:

Currently there are a number of different outbreaks happening, again mainly reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as some neighboring countries. However, fresh concerns are currently being highlighted because the disease has recently been identified in places such as as Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda where, until now, the disease has not been considered endemic.

The variants

There are generally two main types of mpox.

Clade 1, which usually presents with the most serious symptoms. There’s also another strain known simply as Clade 2.

For several decades, it's the Clade 1 variant that has been identified as the main culprit. This has caused a series of sporadic outbreaks of mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This variant has recently been the catalyst for the most serious concerns due to its accelerating spread. As has been commonly documented, the disease appears to be having a greater health impact amidst children.

More recently, concerns have mounted because a growing number of people infected over the last year or so have been infected by a relatively new variant known as Clade 1b. This is known to cause a more severe illness. Experts confess that they haven't yet compiled a great deal of data relating to Clade 1b, but this is the variant that “may be spreading more easily”. In doctor-speak, this suggests that it probably is spreading quite a lot more easily than any previous variants.

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has revealed that there have been more than 14,500 mpox infections between the beginning of 2024 to the end of July. Sadly, the outbreak has resulted in around 500 known deaths from the disease. This represents a 160% increase in infection rates with mortality increasing by nearly a fifth compared with the same time last year.

A previous mpox outbreak (as recently as 2022) was declared a public health emergency. The 2022 outbreak was attributed to the comparatively mild Clade 2 variant. However, the disease spread to nearly 100 countries which don’t usually experience mpox cases, including countries in Europe and Asia. In 2022 the outbreaks were brought under control by vaccinating vulnerable groups.

How does mpox spread?

Mpox is spread from person to person mainly through close contact with someone who is already infected. The virus can also be spread by skin-to-skin contact, talking with (or breathing) in close proximity to an infected person or by sexual means.

Put simply, the virus can enter the host’s body via the respiratory tract, eyes, nose, mouth or broken skin. It can also be spread through touching virus-contaminated objects, such as clothing bedding or towels.

During the global outbreak in 2022 the virus was mainly spread through sexual contact. Likewise, current outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo are thought to be mainly driven by sexual means or by other forms of close contact. Contact with infected animals such as rats, squirrels or monkeys is yet another route that the virus is known to spread.

To summarise:

In summary, anyone who comes into close contact with someone who has mpox symptoms can easily catch the disease. This includes health workers and family members. Sexual contact between infected adults is thought to be one of the main reasons cases are currently rising. The situation is being closely monitored in order to understand more about who might be at greatest risk from this disease.

Young children with developing or compromised immune systems (due to poor nutrition) are thought to be fertile ground for the virus. They find it much more difficult to fight off the diseases. Very young children are at greater risk due to the way they interact at play. Children will not have had the smallpox vaccine which hasn't been administered for over 40-years. This may provide older people with some degree of protection even now.

Mpox vaccines?

Unlike with COVID, mpox vaccines do exist and aren't being developed on the hop. But right now only a select group will be given any vaccines. There are concerns that there isn't sufficient funding in place to pay for vaccines to reach all who might need them. Recently, the WHO has asked drug manufacturers to prioritise production of mpox vaccines for potential emergency rollout.

A global effort is called for in order to try to halt this disease from spreading beyond the African continent. With a case now identified in Sweden, there are already serious concerns that the virus is already on the march.

I hope social media warriors who refer to COVID as a “plan-demic,” suggesting it was all some kind of wicked conspiracy engineered by unidentified villains to enrich billionaires, roll it in this time. Vaccines are rolled out to help millions avoid serious epidemics. No one has planned mpox, that's a certainty. It is however wise to plan contingencies.

Author

Douglas Hughes is a UK-based writer producing general interest articles ranging from travel pieces to classic motoring. 

Douglas Hughes