The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said he is considering classifying the ongoing monkey pox outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern (PEHIC), the strongest designation for a public health outbreak.
“I am considering convening an International Health Regulations emergency committee to advise me on whether the outbreak of mpox should be declared a public health emergency of international concern,” Tedros announced on X.
“More funding and support for a comprehensive response are needed.”
The deadliest’ strain of Monkey Pox has been detected in Africa with a case surge by 160 percent in Africa. While 96 percent of cases have been recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), several other African countries have reported new outbreaks, including Kenya, Cote d’Ivoire, and the Central African Republic (CAR).
The outbreak features infections caused by clade 1b of the virus, which was first detected last fall in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Clade 1b is more deadly than clade 2, which was the virus strain that fueled the global outbreak of mpox seen among men who have sex with men (MSM) in 2022 and 2023.
South Africa has also reported a spillover outbreak.
The case-fatality rate (CFR) for clade 2 is 0.2%, while 1b’s CFR is roughly 3% to 6%. Clade 1 has the highest case fatality rate of around 10%.
The current outbreak has been concentrated in the DRC, but more and more African countries are reporting spillover outbreaks. The DRC outbreak stands at 13,791 cases (2,628 confirmed; 11,163 suspected) and 450 deaths (CFR: 3.3%).
South Africa said it now has 22 cases of the virus, including 3 deaths.
Clade 1b seems to be spreading in both household transmission patterns and among sexual networks.
Uganda also reported its first two new cases of the virus.
Queensland Health in Australia has been notified of 4 new cases of mpox in Queensland over the last week.
Queensland Health has provided the update below in response to 4 new cases of mpox.
“Please be advised that Queensland Health has been notified of 4 new cases of mpox in Queensland over the last week. All cases have been in men who have sex with men (MSM) and are linked to interstate acquisition.
“Clinicians are advised to:
Be alert and test for mpox in patients with compatible signs and symptoms, particularly in MSM, regardless of previous mpox vaccination or travel.
Have a low threshold for testing in at-risk patients, and when swabbing a lesion for an STI to include testing for mpox.
“Alert your local Public Health Unit (PHU) and advise patients to isolate while awaiting results and to expect contact from the local PHU if the test for mpox is positive.
“Community partners are encouraged to remind people in their communities to be vigilant for symptoms of mpox and encourage those who have not received their vaccination, or not returned for their second dose, to consider getting vaccinated,” said the authority.
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