Following the death of 524 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the MPOX outbreak in parts of Africa a ‘public health emergency of international concern’.
The virus has now spread across parts of Central and East Africa, with over 17,000 confirmed cases. Today, August 15th 2024, another case was reported in Sweden. Public health officials are concerned about the rapid spread of a new variant of the disease and its high fatality rate.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, when declaring the emergency:
“The emergence of a new clade of MPOX, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying. On top of outbreaks of other MPOX clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”
This recent strain, referred to as clade 1b, is thought to be significantly more transmissible and possibly more deadly according to information from cases reported in Africa.
Clade 1b is transmitted in the same manner as previous MPOX outbreaks – through skin to skin contact, sexual contact, and sharing of personal items such as bedding and towels.
The British HIV Association (BHIVA) and the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH) have released a joint statement following the news:
The incidence of the new Clade Ib variant has been reported where it has been centred, which is mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and countries bordering it. In the past month, over 100 laboratory-confirmed cases of Clade Ib have been reported in four countries neighbouring the DRC that have not reported mpox before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. WHO is working to respond rapidly to increase vaccine access and scale up treatment programmes for affected countries through the release of emergency funding.
There are no reported cases of the new Clade Ib variant outside of the African continent.
Latest information on case definitions, diagnosis, testing, vaccination and principles of infection control can be found here.Anyone presenting with symptoms of mpox, especially with a link to travel to affected countries, will be tested irrespective of sexual history. We recognise that there are communities we serve, particularly those disproportionately affected by Clade II mpox in the UK, who may be particularly concerned. We will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with our partners to communicate and respond to any developments.
You can read the joint BHIVA & BASHH statement here.
This evening, the UK Health Protection Agency issued a statement reaffirming the facts and aiming to reassure the public.
Currently, there are no cases of Clade 1 mpox confirmed in the UK.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) welcomes the move from the WHO to release funding to accelerate vaccine access for lower-income countries and support surveillance, preparedness and response activities.
The risk to the UK population is currently considered low. However, planning is underway 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.
You can read the UK HSA statement in full here.
The public is urged to follow NHS UK’s MPOX guidance, which can be found here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/mpox/
