15 Aug 2024 | 01:16 PM UTC
Africa: Monkeypox (mpox) outbreak in Africa declared a public health emergency of international concern on Aug. 14
WHO declares the monkeypox (mpox) outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern on Aug. 14 after a surge in cases.
The WHO declared the monkeypox (mpox) outbreak in Africa a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on Aug. 14, following the upsurge of mpox activity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other African countries. The WHO's declaration of a PHEIC aims to prompt a coordinated international response. This includes improving surveillance, accelerating vaccine distribution, enhancing public health measures, and mobilizing resources to control the outbreak. The declaration aims to ensure that countries take urgent action to prevent further spread and protect public health, especially in affected regions. The WHO is actively coordinating international response efforts, including vaccine access, laboratory support, and case investigation. Affected countries are advised to strengthen their surveillance, vaccination efforts, and public health measures. There are no restrictions related to the PHEIC declaration at this time. This report represents the most up-to-date information available as of Aug. 15.
Practice basic health precautions, including frequent handwashing with soap and water, covering the nose and mouth when coughing, and avoiding ill individuals. Avoid overcrowded areas such as nightclubs and consider using safe sexual practices such as physical barriers (condoms) in countries reporting mpox transmission. Seek medical attention if symptoms develop within two weeks of being in affected areas, especially if you have had one or more new sexual partners. Vaccines are available.
The African region has been experiencing an unprecedented increase in mpox cases since the start of 2024, with countries previously unaffected by the disease reporting cases in an expanding spread of the virus. A new mpox lineage, clade 1b, identified in the DRC, is highly transmissible and has a CFR of 6 percent, compared to less than 1 percent for clade 2, which swept across the globe in 2022. The transmission pattern varies across the region, with the spread of clade 1b in eastern DRC linked to transmission through sexual contact and high population movement. Transmission in West Africa and Central Africa is associated with the 2022 global outbreak. However, further analysis is required to understand the transmission patterns better to refine the response to the outbreak. The ministries of health in the affected countries continue to intensify surveillance, risk communication, and community engagement activities in the affected areas.
Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. Mpox is mainly transmitted to humans through direct contact with infected individuals (including intimate or sexual contact), infected animals, or contact with contaminated materials. Human-to-human transmission primarily occurs through close personal contact with an infected individual via respiratory droplets, direct contact with bodily fluids, or indirect contact with lesion material - for example, contaminated clothing or bedding. Symptoms typically appear 3-17 days after exposure but can develop up to 21 days after exposure. Symptoms generally include fever, headache, muscle and back aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion, and a distinctive rash characterized by lesions that progress through several stages before falling off.
