Why is mpox an emergency again, and how worried should I be?

The World Health Organization(WHO) declared that an outbreak of mpox, a viral infection that spreads through close contact, represents a global health emergency for the second time in two years. Here’s what that means. WHAT IS A GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY? A “public health emergency of international concern” or PHEIC is WHO’s highest form of alert.

It is announced when diseases are spreading in new or unusual ways, and is aimed at galvanising international co-operation and funding to tackle an outbreak. WHO’s declaration follows a similar label from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week. WHY IS MPOX AN EMERGENCY AGAIN? Two years ago, WHO declared mpox was an emergency when a form of the disease began to spread globally, largely among men who have sex with men.

That outbreak was brought under control after behaviour change and safe sex practices, plus vaccines, helped people at risk protect themselves in many countries. But mpox has been a public health problem in parts of Africa for decades. The first ever human case was in Congo in 1970, and it has had outbreaks ever since.

The current outbreak, Congo’s worst ever, has seen 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths since January 2023, largely among children. The disease causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, and is usually mild but can kill. Children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV, are all at higher risk of complications.

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