Health workers walk between wards at the Mpox treatment centre at Nyiragongo General Referral Hospital, north of Goma on August 17, 2024. With around 16,000 cases recorded since the beginning of the year, the DRC is the focus and epicentre of the epidemic that led the World Health Organisation (WHO) to trigger its highest level of alert at the international level on Wednesday.
Guerchom Ndebo | Afp | Getty Images
Mpox is “not the new Covid” and the risk to the general population is low, according to the World Health Organization’s regional director for Europe.
In a statement published Tuesday, Dr. Hans Kluge rejected comparisons between mpox and the coronavirus pandemic.
“We can, and must, tackle mpox together — across regions and continents,” Kluge said.
“Will we choose to put the systems in place to control and eliminate mpox globally? Or will we enter another cycle of panic and then neglect?” he added.
“How we respond now, and in the years to come, will prove a critical test for Europe — and the world.”
The United Nations health agency recently declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years. It followed an outbreak of the disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighboring African countries.
Formerly known as monkeypox, mpox is a rare viral infection that spreads through close contact and is most commonly found in west or central Africa. It is classified in two distinct viral strains, or clades.
The World Health Organization declared the spread of mpox a global health emergency last week.
Tumeggy/science Photo Library | Science Photo Library | Getty Images
Clade I, which is endemic to central Africa, is known to cause more severe illness and death. Some outbreaks have killed up to 10% of the people who got ill, although more recent outbreaks have had lower death rates, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Endemic to west Africa, clade II is the viral group that caused the global mpox outbreak in 2022. Infections are known to be less severe, with the CDC saying that more than 99.9% of people survive from this strain.
Sweden on Thursday became the first country outside of Africa to record a case of the mpox clade I variant at the center of the latest outbreak.
“Today, we’re seeing about 100 new mpox clade II cases in the European Region every month,” Kluge said.
“However, the current state of alert due to clade I gives Europe the opportunity to refocus on clade II,” he added.