MPox has been declared a public health emergency in Africa. What is WHO doing? – Arab Times

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The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced this week that the spread of African swine fever has become a health emergency and may cross borders.

LONDON, Aug. 14 (AP): The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week declared the growing outbreak of African swine fever on the continent a health emergency and warned that the virus could eventually cross borders.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization was holding its own expert meeting to consider a similar emergency declaration for MPox.
More than 96% of cases and deaths so far have occurred in just one country: Congo, where scientists worry the new disease could spread and spread more easily between people.
Here’s what we know about mpox and what you can do to control it:
Monkeypox, also known as monkeypox, was first discovered by scientists in 1958 during an outbreak of a “pox-like” illness among monkeys. Until recently, most human cases occurred in people in Central and West Africa who had close contact with infected animals.
In 2022, the virus was first confirmed to be sexually transmitted and caused outbreaks in more than 70 countries where MPOX had not previously been reported.
Sheeppox belongs to the same virus family as smallpox, but has milder symptoms, such as fever, chills and body aches. People with more severe illness may develop lesions on the face, hands, chest and genitals.
The number of cases has risen dramatically. Last week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that MPOX has now been found in at least 13 African countries. The agency said cases have increased by 160% and deaths by 19% compared with the same period last year.
Earlier this year, scientists reported the emergence of a new strain of MPOx in a Congolese mining town that kills up to 10% of people and may be more easily spread.
Unlike previous MPox outbreaks, which mainly appeared on the chest, hands and feet, the new form of MPox causes milder symptoms, with lesions appearing on the genitals. This makes it harder to detect, meaning people could be spreading the virus to others without knowing it.
The WHO said MPox was recently detected for the first time in four East African countries: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. All of these outbreaks are linked to the outbreak in Congo.
In Côte d’Ivoire and South Africa, health authorities reported the emergence of a different and less dangerous MPOX virus that spread globally in 2022.
Dr. Jean Kaseya, director of the Africa CDC, said the agency declared a public health emergency to “mobilize our institutions, our collective will and our resources to act swiftly and decisively.” He called on Africa’s international partners to help and said the continent’s escalating case numbers had been largely ignored.
“It is clear that the current control strategies are not working and more resources are clearly needed,” said Michael Marks, professor of medicine at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. “If (a global emergency declaration) is the mechanism to address these problems, then it is necessary,” he said.
In the 2022 global outbreak of MPOX, gay and bisexual men accounted for the vast majority of cases, and the virus is mainly transmitted through close contact, including sexual intercourse.
Although some similar patterns have emerged in Africa, in Congo, children under 15 now account for more than 70% of vaccinia cases and 85% of deaths.
Before the WHO convened an emergency meeting to discuss the malaria outbreak, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said officials were dealing with multiple malaria outbreaks in different countries “with different modes of transmission and different levels of risk.”
“Stopping these outbreaks will require a comprehensive and targeted response,” he said.
Greg Lamm, director of Save the Children’s Congo, said the organization was particularly concerned about the spread of measles in eastern refugee camps, noting that 345,000 children were “crammed into tents with poor sanitation.” He said the country’s health system was “crumbling” under the pressure of malnutrition, measles and cholera.
It’s unclear why such high rates of measles infection are occurring among Congolese children, said Dr. Boghuma Titanji, an infectious disease expert at Emory University. She said it could be because children are more susceptible to the virus, or that social factors, such as overcrowding and exposure to parents who have the disease, could explain the situation.
In 2022, outbreaks of MPox in dozens of countries were largely contained thanks to wealthy countries using vaccines and treatments and persuading people to avoid risky behavior. But Africa has almost no vaccines or treatments.
Max, of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said immunizations could help – including vaccinating people against viruses related to smallpox.
“We need a large supply of vaccines to vaccinate those most at risk,” he said, adding that that meant sex workers, children and adults living in areas of outbreaks.
Congo says it is in talks with donors about possible vaccine donations and has received some financial assistance from Britain and the United States
The World Health Organization said it had allocated $1.45 million from its emergency fund to support the fight against swine fever in Africa.