The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the current outbreak of a more severe and deadly strain of mpox (monkeypox), as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
It seems to spread more easily than previous strains, with a mortality rate of about 10% compared to less than 1% for the virus responsible for the 2022 global outbreak.
As of June 2024, there were over 14,000 Mpox cases and 524 deaths in the DRC, with women and children under 15 being the most affected. The number of cases this year has exceeded the total from last year.
From January 2022 to June 2024, there were 99,176 confirmed Mpox cases in 116 countries, resulting in 208 deaths. The WHO noted the presence of different virus strains in various countries, posing challenges for healthcare workers.
The African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had already declared the Mpox situation in the region a public health emergency of continental security.
In 2022, the United Nations health agency had declared a global health emergency for an Mpox outbreak that had spread to many countries, primarily affecting gay and bisexual men worldwide with a less deadly variant, clade IIb.
The WHO urged vaccine manufacturers to submit applications for emergency use of a Mpox vaccine.
Mpox is a viral disease that can be transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals or materials. Symptoms include skin rashes, swollen lymph nodes, fever, body aches, headache, and weakness. Skin lesions filled with fluid may appear on various body parts and can vary in number before drying up and falling off.
Sources: Washington Post, BBC, WSJ, Forbes, Die Welt, Der Spiegel, The Epoch Times, DGABC, El Mañana, O Tempo, Xataka, La Voz de Michoacán, Razon, Correio24horas, FA Notícias, El Economista, Istoé, Agência Brasil, Proceso, Times of India.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
