By Sharon Atieno
With at least 15 African countries reporting mpox outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) has elevated the disease response to the highest level requiring organization-wide mobilization and scale-up.
Key among the steps being taken is the scheduled meeting between the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and the emergency committee of experts to determine whether the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
According to Dr. Ghebreyesus, if the Committee finds that the outbreak is of international concern, they will provide an advisory on the temporary recommendations on how to better prevent and reduce the spread of the disease and manage the global public health response.
As of 8th August, there have been a total of 2030 reported cases in the African region with 13 deaths. This is a rise, compared to 2023 when there was 1145 cases and seven deaths. Four countries – Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda – previously unaffected by mpox have reported cases since mid-July 2024.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which accounts for more than 90% of the reported cases, a new variant (known as clade 1b) that emerged in September 2023 is circulating in its eastern region. The new variant has also been reported in Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya with analysis ongoing in Burundi to determine whether the nee variant is responsible for the reported cases.
“The priority is to rapidly interrupt the transmission of the virus. We’re collaborating with partners in support of countries to reinforce outbreak control measures and ensure that communities are central to ongoing efforts to effectively end these outbreaks,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.
The pattern of transmission varies across the region, with the spread of new variant ( clade 1b) in eastern DRC linked to transmission through sexual contact and high population movement, while in South Africa most of the cases are among people identifying as men having sex with men.
Transmission in West and Central Africa is associated with the 2022 global outbreak. However, further analysis is required to better understand the patterns of transmission to refine the response to the outbreak, WHO says.
In the African region, the organization is working through country teams and experts deployed on the ground to support national authorities strengthen key response areas, including disease surveillance, diagnosis testing and clinical care, infection prevention and control.
It is also working with the health authorities to access therapeutics, decentralize laboratory services for enhanced diagnostic capacities, and ramp up efforts to raise awareness about the risk of the disease among communities.
Field investigation and active case finding are also being reinforced in the affected and at-risk countries. WHO is coordinating closely to enhance contact tracing, leveraging experience from prior outbreaks to ensure interventions best support and elevate the needs of key populations. Besides, it is mobilizing financial support to help countries effectively respond to the outbreak.
Vaccines are one among many public health tools that are used to control mpox. As such, the organization is advancing the process for Emergency Use Listing Procedure, an approach to assess and list unlicensed vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics to expediting their availability for use during public health emergencies. It is already working closely with countries to develop their vaccination strategies and plans, to roll out the vaccines as soon as they are available.
Mpox is transmitted from animals to humans, with cases often found close to tropical rainforests where there are animals that carry the virus. The disease can also spread from humans to humans through contact with bodily fluids, lesions on the skin or on internal mucosal surfaces, such as in the mouth or throat, respiratory droplets and contaminated objects.
Common symptoms include:rash, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.
Treatment of mpox patients is supportive dependent on the symptoms. Various therapeutics that may be effective against the disease are being developed and tested. Prevention and control often rely on raising awareness in communities and educating health workers to prevent infection and stop transmission.
