Mpox: Why was a 'public health emergency' declared?

World Health Organisation addresses spread of virus after hundreds killed in outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo

The monkeypox vaccine is usually available only for people at risk or those who have been in close contact with an infected person. EPA

Mpox has been declared a public health emergency by the World Health Organisation as it is rife in parts of Africa.

The disease, formerly known as monkeypox, has killed at least 450 people during an initial outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has now spread across parts of Central and East Africa.

Scientists are concerned about how fast the new variant is spreading and its high death rate, with WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saying the potential for further spread "is very worrying".

"A co-ordinated international response is essential to stop this outbreak and save lives," he said.

What is mpox?

The virus is transmitted through close contact, skin-to-skin contact and talking or breathing close to another person.

It causes flu-like symptoms, skin lesions and can be fatal, with four in 100 cases leading to death.

Outbreaks can be controlled by vaccines, though these are usually available only for people at risk or those who have been in close contact with an infected person.

There are two main types, Clade 1 and Clade 2.

A previous mpox public health emergency, declared in 2022, was caused by Clade 2, which is considered mild by scientists.

However, this time it is the far more deadly Clade 1 – which has killed up to 10 per cent of those getting sick in previous outbreaks – that is surging.

An unidentified man infected with mpox at the Goma General Hospital, Democratic Republic of Congo. AP

How does it spread?

Mpox is an infection usually spread by wild animals in Central or West Africa.

It can be caught from infected wild animals, particularly rodents such as rats, mice and squirrels.

You can be infected by an animal bite or if you come into contact with an animal’s blood or bodily fluids.

It is possible to catch mpox by eating meat from an infected animal that has not been properly cooked.

Human-to-human transmission can occur through touching the towels or bedding of a patient, touching mpox blisters, or through coughs and sneezes.

It is a cousin of the smallpox virus and has been mostly confined to developing countries, until the past few months when it spread in Europe and the US.

Mpox was first identified humans in 1970 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo in a nine-year-old boy. It became endemic in the tropical rainforests of Central and West Africa, where 11 countries reported cases.

In June 2003, the disease was reported in the US, the first time it had been detected outside Africa.

An evolving virus

In Africa, mpox mainly spreads to people from infected wild animals such as rodents, in limited outbreaks that typically have not crossed borders.

In Europe, North America and elsewhere, however, mpox is spreading among people with no links to animals or recent travel to Africa.

The WHO’s top mpox expert, Dr Rosamund Lewis, this week said 99 per cent of all the cases beyond Africa were in men and of those.

Experts suspected the mpox outbreaks in Europe and North America were spread by people who attended two raves in Belgium and Spain.

What are the symptoms and how is it treated?

Most mpox patients experience fever, body aches, chills and fatigue. People with more serious cases may develop a rash and lesions on the face and hands. The lesions can spread to other parts of the body.

In general, recovery takes about two to four weeks without the need to be admitted to hospital, but mpox can be fatal in up to 6 per cent of cases and is thought to be more severe in children.

Smallpox vaccines are effective against mpox and anti-viral drugs are also being developed.