A high-ranking World Health Organization official flatly said, “Mpox is not the new COVID.’’ But with the discovery of new cases outside Africa as an emerging strain there appears more contagious, concern about mpox is rising in the wake of a coronavirus pandemic that has caused about 15 million deaths worldwide.
Thailand confirmed an mpox infection on Wednesday, although it’s unclear whether it stems from the new clade Ib variant driving a growing epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This new strain has spread to at least 12 nations in Africa and one in Europe. More than 17,000 cases and 517 deaths have been reported this year in 13 African countries. More than 95% of those cases and deaths occurred in Congo.
Last week, Sweden became the first country outside Africa to report an infection involving the Ib strain, traced to a person who had traveled to the continent. The previous day, the WHO had declared the mpox virus a public health emergency of international concern.
So while Hans Kluge, the WHO regional director for Europe, rejected the notion that mpox might follow COVID’s deadly path, he also warned, “We can and must tackle mpox together, across regions and continents.’’
What is mpox and how does it spread?
Formerly known as monkeypox because it was initially discovered in that animal in 1958, mpox is a virus that derives from the same family as smallpox. It can spread from animals to humans and between people, typically through bodily fluids or close physical contact, as well as through contact with contaminated objects.
The two types of mpox are clade I and clade II, the latter usually leads to milder disease and is less likely to cause death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says mpox often manifests in a rash on the hands, feet, chest, face, mouth and around the genital area. Lesions from the rash can get painful or itchy.
Other symptoms can be similar to the flu, such as a sore throat or cough, congestion, fever, chills, muscle aches and fatigue.
The CDC says that both during the 2022 outbreak of the clade II strain in the U.S. and in continued but much fewer instances now, the virus is “still mostly being spread through sexual and intimate contact, and gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men are at the highest risk of getting mpox.’’
How big a threat is mpox to the US?
Mpox reached the U.S. as part of a global outbreak in 2022, resulting in 32,000 known infections and 58 deaths domestically. All those cases have been linked to the less virulent and contagious clade II type. The CDC says no clade I infections have been found in the U.S., and that the U.S. is at low risk of this strain arriving.
But Dr. Kyle Enfield, an associate professor and pulmonary disease expert at the University of Virginia, says international travel makes it likely the more harmful form of the virus will reach American shores eventually. He did have some encouraging words for those who might be bracing for such news, though.
“When you have diseases like mpox where close skin-to-skin contact or close human contact is necessary, as opposed to respiratory diseases, you’re likely to see a slower spread than you are in a disease like influenza, COVID and other respiratory diseases, which just have a better ability to spread from human to human and therefore disseminate across populations faster,’’ Enfield said.
Are there treatments and vaccines?
The CDC says mpox infections usually last two and four weeks, and most cases resolve themselves without treatment. There’s no specific medication for mpox, but the CDC says symptoms can be managed with over-the-counter medicines and prescription mouthwashes. The agency strongly advises patients not to touch or scratch the rash.
The CDC recommends the two-dose mpox vaccine for at-risk populations in the U.S. and provides a vaccine finder by ZIP code on its website. An agency study found the approved JYNNEOS vaccine, administered within a four-week interval, is not only highly effective at preventing the disease, but it also helps minimize the impact of symptoms for those who get infected.
Contributing: Reuters
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