Geneva — The mpox outbreak is another covid-19The World Health Organization said Tuesday that much is already known about the virus and how to control it. While more research is needed on the Clade 1b strain, which prompted the U.N. agency to declare a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the spread of mpox can be contained, said Hans Kluge, WHO’s European director.
In July 2022, WHO declared a PHEIC for an international outbreak of a less severe mpox Clade 2b strain that primarily affects gay and bisexual men. The alert was lifted in May 2023.
“Mpox is not the new COVID,” Kluge insisted. “We know how to control mpox, and we know the steps needed to completely eradicate it in the European region,” he told a media briefing via video link from Geneva.
“Two years ago, we brought mpox under control in Europe thanks to direct contact with the most affected communities,” he said. “We implemented robust surveillance, thoroughly investigated new case contacts, and provided sound public health advice. Behavioral changes, non-discriminatory public health measures, and mpox vaccination contributed to controlling the outbreak.”
Kluge said the virus poses a low risk to the general public.
“Will the WHO European Region go into lockdown as if it were another COVID-19 outbreak? The answer is a resounding ‘no,’” he said.
Kluge said the main route of transmission is skin-to-skin contact, but he said people with acute Empox, especially those with mouth blisters, could potentially transmit the virus to close contacts through droplets in settings such as homes or hospitals.
“The mode of transmission is still a little unclear. More research is needed,” he said.
WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said the agency does not recommend the use of masks.
“We are not recommending mass vaccination. We are recommending the vaccine in outbreak settings for the most at-risk populations,” he added.
Arlette Bashizi/Reuters
that WHO declares international health emergency On August 14, the Democratic Republic of the Congo expressed concern about the increasing number of cases of Clade 1b infection and its spread to neighboring countries.
The WHO declaration came after the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared an outbreak of mpox.Formerly known as monkeypox) A public health emergency has been declared with more than 500 people dead from the disease, and international assistance has been requested to stop its spread.
“This is something that concerns us all,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the time. “The potential for further spread into Africa and beyond is very worrying.”
