On Wednesday, August 14th, 2024, in response to the active circulation of clade 1 monkeypox virus (MPXV) in Central Africa and the recent expansion of a subtype (1b) thought to be more lethal and transmissible in East Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), paving the way for enhanced coordination between regional health systems and the active engagement of stakeholders to tackle this global outbreak. The following day, Thursday August 15, Sweden reported the first positive case of clade 1b mpox on European soil. This led the French government to place the French health system on maximum alert on Friday, August 16, and the French authorities have now begun to re-evaluate the health recommendations established in 2022 during the previous mpox outbreak in preparation for the probable emergence of cases in the country.
In these circumstances, the Institut Pasteur is contributing to the national response by taking three immediate measures: 1. The Department of Public Health within the Ministry for Health has activated the Institut Pasteur's Laboratory for Urgent Response to Biological Threats (CIBU), and since the weekend, at the request of French health authorities, it has been analyzing samples taken from suspected cases at hospitals in Paris or at the Institut Pasteur Medical Center to establish an mpox diagnosis, in tandem with reference health care establishments and in conjunction with the National Ref.