Concerns that mpox outbreak in 12 countries will spread
Africa's health officials are racing to contain the spread of the disease in a region lacking vaccines.
The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) emergency committee meets on Wednesday to discuss a serious and growing outbreak of mpox in 12 countries which could spread even further.
The health body has also invited vaccine manufacturers to submit interest in an emergency use listing.
The disease, formerly known as monkeypox, came to global attention in 2022 when 207 people died with cases identified in 122 countries during a large outbreak.
Cases were seen in 115 countries which had not previously faced the disease.
At the start of this year, the disease began spreading again in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This outbreak has already led to 511 deaths.
The first six months of this year have seen the same number of cases as were reported during all of last year in the DRC, the WHO said.
Additionally, in the last month cases have been reported in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda where none were previously seen.
Cases have also been reported this year in seven other countries in the region including South Africa.
Just last week the WHO released $1m from their Contingency Fund for Emergencies to support efforts to tackle these outbreaks.
The emergency committee meeting will see members share expert views on the spread of the disease.
They will advise on whether this is now a public health emergency of international concern and, if that is the case, what actions should follow.
Closing borders or other travel restrictions are not part however of the WHO’s Standing Recommendations on mpox.
Director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the committee is being convened “in light of the spread of Mpox outside DRC, and the potential for further international spread within and outside Africa”.
There are two vaccines approved for use against mpox.
“I have triggered the process for Emergency Use Listing of both vaccines, which will accelerate vaccine access particularly for lower-income countries, which have not yet issued their own national regulatory approval,” he said.
This listing also enables partners such as Gavi and UNICEF to access vaccines.
He thanked the EU, the US and Japan for working with the WHO on donations.
Mpox is also a notifiable infectious disease in Ireland. There were 228 cases confirmed between May 2022 and February of last year, data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre shows.
In common with the international situation, almost all cases were male and the majority were among men who have sex with men.
Public health campaigns alerting this community and helping to boost protection were run by the HSE working with Man2Man.ie and other men’s health groups.
Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last 2–4 weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes, according to the WHO.
It was first discovered in Denmark in 1958 in monkeys kept for research and the first reported human case of mpox was a nine-month-old boy in the DRC in 1970.
