The Mpox outbreak continues to represent a public health emergency, the World Health Organization said on Friday, November 22, 2024. The WHO first declared the emergency in August , when an outbreak of a new form of mpox spread from the badly-hit Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring countries. Mpox is a viral infection that spreads through close contact, and typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions.
It is usually mild, but it can be lethal. This year, there have been more than 46,000 suspected cases across Africa, mainly in Congo, and more than 1,000 suspected deaths. The label of "public health emergency of international concern" is the WHO's highest form of alert, and was also applied to a global outbreak of a different form of mpox in 2022-2023.
Watch: What is mpox? Canada confirms first case of clade I mpox Canada’s public health agency on Friday, November 22, 2024 confirmed the first case of clade I mpox in Canada, in a person in Manitoba. The Public Health Agency of Canada said this travel-related case was associated with an ongoing outbreak of clade I mpox in central and eastern Africa. “The individual sought medical care for mpox symptoms in Canada shortly after their return and is currently isolating,” the agency said in a statement.
Mpox vaccine for children The World Health Organization has authorized the first mpox vaccine for children, a decision experts hope will help make immunisations more widely available to one of the hardest-h.