As monkeypox spreads around the world, WHO laments decline in reports

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On Monday (August 12), the World Health Organization (WHO) released a report revealing a significant increase in mpox cases worldwide.

Report A total of 99,176 laboratory-confirmed cases and 208 deaths were recorded from 116 countries and territories between January 2022 and June 2024.

In June 2024 alone (the latest full month for disease surveillance data), 934 new cases and four deaths were reported from 26 countries, highlighting the continued spread of the virus around the world.

WHO’s risk assessment highlights that the risk of MPOX transmission is high in eastern DRC and adjacent areas, where the virus primarily affects adults and is mainly transmitted through sexual contact.

Poxvirus variants can be divided into different clades, which are groups of strains that share common genetic characteristics. Clade I (formerly known as the Congo Basin or Central African clade) and clade II (formerly known as the West African clade) are the main classifications, and both clades are further divided into subclades Ia, Ib, IIa, and IIb.

High risk has also been identified in other parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where clade Ia variants are endemic and primarily infect children.

In the wider region, such as Nigeria and other parts of West, Central and East Africa, influenza types 1 and 2 present a moderate risk to both children and adults. Globally, influenza type IIb remains a moderate risk, with outbreaks of this type primarily affecting men who have sex with men.

Among the ten countries with the highest cumulative number of cases between January 2022 and June 2024, four are European countries – Spain (8,084 cases), France (4,272 cases), the United Kingdom (3,952 cases) and Germany (3,857 cases).

With the number of new MPOX cases reported to WHO declining, it is difficult to draw conclusions based on recent trends in MPOX cases. WHO has urged all countries to list MPOX as a notifiable disease and report cases, including those with zero cases.

The report does not highlight countries that have not reported cases, so the lack of cases may reflect the lack of reporting rather than the absence of the virus.

Although Mpox is not a sexually transmitted disease, it can be spread through sexual contact, just like other infections. Initial symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches and back pain, usually within the first five days of infection.

(Editing by Chris Powers)