Monkeypox virus outbreak: WHO declares outbreak a public health emergency of international concern

People travelling to areas affected by the recent mpox outbreak in Africa have been urged to get vaccinated by the EU’s public health body.

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) updated its advice to people going to “epidemic areas” to “consult their healthcare provider or travel health clinic regarding eligibility for vaccination against mpox”.

The ECDC said it is “highly likely” that Europe will have “more imported cases of mpox caused by the clade 1 virus currently circulating in Africa”.

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The first case of a new infectious strain of mpox has been detected in Europe after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared outbreaks in Africa a global emergency.

Experts said the new strain is “associated with a more severe disease and higher mortality rates” than the one that caused the global mpox outbreak in 2022.

Mpox was first detected in humans in the DRC in 1970 and is considered endemic to countries in Central and West Africa.

However, WHO said the recent surge of cases in DRC and its spread to neighbouring countries constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) on Wednesday.

According to WHO, mpox has been reported in DRC for more than 10 years, with the number of cases increasing steadily over the period.

So far in 2024, there have been more than 15,600 cases of mpox and 537 deaths, which the WHO said exceeds last year’s total.

There have also been 100 lab-confirmed cases of clade 1b in four countries neighbouring the DRC that have not reported mpox before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.

Before the spring of 2022, cases in the UK were usually associated with travel to or from West or Central Africa.

However, in May of that year sustained transmission of the virus was identified in the UK, leading to a large outbreak mostly in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men.

A vaccination programme was launched in the UK in the summer of 2022 and closed the following July.

According to the UKHSA, there were 3,732 confirmed and highly probable mpox cases reported in the UK up to December 31, 2022. In 2023 and up to July 31 this year, 286 cases were reported.

Of these, 269 were in England – with 116 patients presumed to have caught the virus in the UK and 82 outside of the country.

Health chiefs have confirmed the are making plans in case a new mpox virus is detected in the UK.

It comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global health emergency after the outbreaks in west and central Africa.

Officials said plans are under way to tackle a possible outbreak in the country ensuring healthcare workers are aware of the symptoms and that rapid tests are available.

There are no cases of clade 1b mpox confirmed so fur but experts said cases can spread easily if international action is not taken.

Dr Meera Chand, deputy director at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “The risk to the UK population is currently considered low.

“However, planning is under way to prepare for any cases that we might see in the UK.

“This includes ensuring that clinicians are aware and able to recognise cases promptly, that rapid testing is available and that protocols are developed for the safe clinical care of people who have the infection, and the prevention of onward transmission.’’

Pakistan has detected one case of clade 2 mpox variant, the country’s ministry of health confirmed.

But the country claimed there have been no cases of the clade 1b strain, which triggered global concern for its rapid spread.

The mpox clade 1b variant is associated with severe clinical symptoms and higher mortality rate compared to the clade 2.

Spokesman for the ministry of national health services Sajid Hussain Shah said: “As of now, there have been no reported cases of clade 1 in Pakistan.”

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other African countries will start vaccinating against the viral infection mpox in a few days if everything is in place, the director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.

“We didn’t start vaccinations yet. We’ll start in a few days, if we are sure that everything is in place. End of next week vaccines will start to arrive in DRC and other countries,” Jean Kaseya told reporters.

European health authorities have ruled out imposing border controls as the risk of a global mpox outbreak is still considered “low”.

ThThe Health Security Committee (HSC) confirmed that there should not be “a public health emergency in Europe as things stand”.

 A spokesperson added: “The HSC members agreed on the importance of a closely coordinated approach and the need to continue monitoring the situation very closely.”

Vaccination recommendations are kept for certain groups at more risk but the commission has ruled out extending the rollout for the general public for now.

It comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared outbreaks in Africa a global emergency.

In the wake of the resurgence of mpox, France has announced that is ready to “test and vaccinate patients”.

The country has been put on “maximum state of vigilance” as the Institute Pasteur examines people who have developed symptoms similar to Mpox.

In a statement, the health institute said: “The medical center of the Institut Pasteur, specialised in travel medicine, has also triggered its internal protocol to test patients with symptoms suggestive of mpox in optimal safety conditions.”

It comes after Swedish health officials announced that there has been one confirmed case of clade 1b on Thursday.

The country’s public health agency said a patient sought healthcare in Stockholm and is understood to have been infected during a visit to Africa.

Mpox was first detected in humans in the DRC in 1970 and is considered endemic to countries in Central and West Africa.

However, WHO said the recent surge of cases in DRC and its spread to neighbouring countries constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) on Wednesday.

According to WHO, mpox has been reported in DRC for more than 10 years, with the number of cases increasing steadily over the period.

So far in 2024, there have been more than 15,600 cases of mpox and 537 deaths, which the WHO said exceeds last year’s total.

There have also been 100 lab-confirmed cases of clade 1b in four countries neighbouring the DRC that have not reported mpox before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.