The viral disease pox, formerly known as monkeypox, has become a global threat once again. On Wednesday afternoon, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, regarding mpox, citing the resurgence of cases across Africa and the emergence of a new, deadly strain of the virus.
Mpox has long been considered a zoonotic disease, spreading primarily from animals (mostly rodents, not monkeys) to humans. But that changed in early 2022, when the virus began causing large outbreaks outside of Africa. The outbreak spread worldwide, with more than 90,000 cases in more than 100 countries documented.
The virus can spread through any type of direct contact. But during this massive outbreak, it is more sexually transmitted among bisexual men. Thankfully, the strains that spread were of the less deadly lineage of the virus, and about 150 people died as a result of the 2022 pandemic.
Vaccination and awareness campaigns in high-risk communities have helped reduce the incidence of mpox since 2022, but experts have warned that the virus could continue to cause outbreaks or evolve into a more serious one—possibilities that are already real.
This year, there have been more than 14,000 reported cases and 524 deaths tied to mpox, according to the Associated Press. These cases and deaths have been found in 13 countries, although most are concentrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A new, more virulent variant of mpox appears to be the cause of these outbreaks, with the death rate hovering around 3 to 4%.
Last week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared a public emergency regarding the outbreak of the disease. But while most of the risk has been confined to Africa so far, the WHO announcement shows that the rest of the world is not really safe from mpox.
“The emergence of a new group of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighboring countries are very worrying. Despite outbreaks in other areas of mpox in the DRC and other African countries, it is clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop this outbreak and save lives.” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in the WHO announcement about this decision. .
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