2023-12-24 11:54:04
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The MPOX virus is spreading rapidly in Congo. More than 1,000 cases are reported every month. The world could be facing a new global health crisis.
Kinshasa – In 2022, the MPOX virus began to spread internationally from Africa – Europe was particularly affected. However, the state of emergency only lasted a year. The World Health Organization (WHO) then declared the emergency over. Now, however, the disease appears to be spreading rapidly again.
MPOX, also known as monkeypox, through direct contact with skin or mucous membranes, fever, headache and muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, skin changes
There are already outbreaks of the MPOX virus in some Asian countries
“We are concerned that there is international transmission,” said Rosamund Lewis, a WHO specialist, in Geneva on Friday (December 15). She pointed out that a “rapid” increase in cases has already been detected in Congo and that outbreaks have now also been recorded in some Asian countries. The virus poses “a risk to people in DRC, in neighboring countries and around the world,” according to the WHO assessment.
MPOX disease is a viral infection that can be transmitted from animals to humans. To avoid prejudice and stigmatization, the World Health Organization (WHO) renamed the disease, long known as monkeypox, about a year ago. The viruses were originally found primarily in rodents in West and Central Africa.
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MPOX can be transmitted during sexual intercourse, for example
Person-to-person transmission can occur through close contact, such as during sexual intercourse. Compared to smallpox, which has been considered eradicated for about four decades, MPOX infections are usually much milder. However, they can also be severe and, in rare cases, fatal. Fever and skin pustules are typical signs of this disease.
In Kinshasa, authorities have already registered over 13,000 suspected cases this year, more than double last year’s numbers, Lewis reports. Over 600 of those infected have already lost their lives. What is particularly alarming is that, for the first time, more women than men are affected in the regions affected by the epidemic. Lewis suspects this may be related to sex work in Congo. At the end of November, the WHO sounded the alarm bells due to the infection situation in Congo and sent a team of experts to the Central African country. The WHO is also intensively working on the development of a vaccine.
A colorized scanning electron micrograph of monkeypox virus (green) on the surface of infected VERO E6 cells (blue), taken at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility. © Niaid/dpa
In May 2023, the emergency status for MPOX was lifted
The disease began to leave Africa in May 2022 and spread primarily in Europe. This particularly affected men who had sexual contact with men. Similar to the corona pandemic, the WHO declared an international health emergency, but this was lifted in May 2023. The Corona emergency was also declared over by the WHO in the same month. However, there is currently a new variant with changed symptoms.
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