What’s Mpox and why has the WHO declared it a public well being emergency?

Sebastian Condrea | moment |

The World Health Organization has declared Mpox a global health emergency for the second time in two years after an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo spread to neighboring countries.

Since then, new cases of the virus have also been detected outside the continent, including in Thailand, the Philippines, Sweden and Pakistan.

Health officials are concerned because many of the new cases in Africa have been identified as a new and more deadly variant known as clade 1b. The new variant has also been confirmed outside the continent, in Thailand.

CNBC summarizes what we know so far.

What is mpox?

Mpox is a viral infection which spreads through close contact, including sexual contact. It causes flu-like symptoms, including fever, chills and muscle aches, as well as pus-filled lesions. Although it is usually mild, it can be fatal.

There are essentially two types of Mpox, known as a clade. The most recent outbreak has been identified as Clade 1. The current strain appears to spread more easily and has a higher mortality rate than the 2022 strain, known as Clade 2.

In addition, the disease appears to disproportionately affect young people; most deaths occur among children.

Why are cases increasing?

A new offshoot of clade 1, known as clade 1b, is believed to be responsible for the recent increase in cases, according to the WHO.

The WHO explained that group 1b spreads from person to person, often through sexual contact. Although the disease was first discovered in 2024, it is believed to have emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo around 2023.

“The outbreak associated with group Ib in the Democratic Republic of Congo primarily affects adults and is spreading rapidly. It occurs largely, but not exclusively, through transmission associated with sexual contact and is amplified in networks associated with commercial sex and sex workers,” the health organization said in a statement on August 19.

Where are the cases?

In addition to the Democratic Republic of Congo, cases of clade 1b have been identified in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Thailand.

Clade 1 cases have been reported in the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo and Sweden.

Cases associated with the milder clade 2 have been reported from Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, the Philippines and Pakistan.

What does the WHO statement mean?

The status of “public health emergency of international concern” is the highest classification by the WHO and aims to accelerate international action and public health cooperation to contain a disease.

“It is clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus making the statement on August 14.

“The discovery and rapid spread of a new Mpox group in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, its discovery in neighboring countries where Mpox has not been previously reported, and the possibility of further spread within Africa and beyond are very concerning,” he added.

However, Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, stressed last week that Mpox is “not the new Covid.”

In a statement released Tuesday, Kluge rejected comparisons between Mpox and the coronavirus pandemic, saying the risk to the general population was low.

“We can and must fight MPOX together – across regions and continents,” said Kluge.

What are the authorities doing?

There are vaccines to treat the virus, but access is a problem. WHO is currently working with countries and vaccine manufacturers to improve access for affected countries.

The UN health agency said it has so far released $1.45 million in emergency funds and may need to release more in the coming days. It expects its response plan to require an initial immediate funding requirement of $15 million.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has entered into a partnership with vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic that it says will help provide two million doses this year, in addition to existing doses, and ten million by the end of 2025.

Bavarian Nordic said it is also supplying vaccines to countries outside Africa and is applying to the European Union Medicines Agency for approval to expand the use of its Mpox vaccine to include adolescents.