UNITED NATIONS, Sep 27 (IPS) – Yesterday, India’s Union Health Ministry reported the first M-pox case in the country. Infected individuals were reported to be infected with the lineage Ib strain of the virus, a much more virulent variant than the more common lineage II. This development has raised significant concern among health officials around the world, as until recently the Mpox epidemic had been contained in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Last August, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new Mpox epidemic a “global health emergency.” In the early stages of the pandemic, approximately 90% of all cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the weeks that followed, infections were reported in neighboring countries, including Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda. The virus has also spread to countries outside Africa, including Pakistan, Thailand, and Sweden.
The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC) reported a 160% increase in cases compared to the previous year, adding that most of these cases are from the more lethal lineage I variants. There has also been a significant increase in cases in Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, over the past few weeks. Kinshasa had only 525 cases as of September 15, according to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ministry of Health. However, 10% of these cases were reported in the last week of that testing period, which indicates to analysts that the infection rate is: It is increasing.
Although few cases of the clade Ib strain have been detected outside of Congo and no deaths have occurred, health authorities around the world have set up processes to track its spread and isolate infected individuals. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) called for continued vigilance around the epidemic, saying “the scale of these outbreaks may be larger than reported due to under-identification and under-reporting.” Congo’s Ministry of Health estimates that only 20% of Mpox cases have been confirmed, and most do not seek treatment or ignore chickenpox symptoms.
Congolese health officials have long advocated for a robust M-Fox vaccination campaign, which they believe is paramount to eradicating this health crisis. “The expanding outbreak and the ongoing difficulties in controlling it using traditional public health measures highlight the clear role of vaccines as part of a comprehensive response. A robust and well-coordinated M-Fox vaccine rollout builds on lessons learned from COVID-19 and Ebola. Building on this, the vaccine rollout is essential,” said the WHO Regional Office for Africa.
On September 13, WHO approved the first prequalification for a vaccine against Mox.
Dr. Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Deputy Director for Access to Medicines and Health Products, said: “WHO’s MVA-BN pre-qualification will help accelerate the ongoing procurement of the MVA-BN vaccine by governments and international organizations such as Gavi and Unicef in Africa and beyond. “This is a community that is on the front lines of the ongoing emergency in our region.”
The MVA-BN vaccine is currently only licensed for people 18 years of age or older and who are not pregnant or immunocompromised. Patients are given two injections four weeks apart.
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) stated that off-label use of the MVA-BN vaccine for all patients may be acceptable because the benefits of widespread immunization far outweigh the potential risks. Studies have shown that one dose of pre-infection vaccine resulted in a 76% vaccination rate, while two doses resulted in an 86% vaccination rate. WHO is currently in the process of accelerating widespread vaccine rollout and is urging donor contributions to help the initiative scale up.
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