Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, has recently had a global outbreak. The name of the virus was changed in order to avoid the common misconception that it is caused or spread by monkeys. Despite prior outbreaks occurring consistently over the past few years, this has been the most recent outbreak, and has been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Symptoms of mpox include fever, rashes, blisters and swollen lymph nodes. It is in the same family of diseases as smallpox; however, mpox has a variety of strains, including the newer Clade Ib, which is more contagious. Although not as lethal as other viruses, mpox has varying mortality rates depending on the strain, ranging anywhere from one to 10 percent.
The outbreak is currently concentrated in Africa, particularly in the Congo and the surrounding nations in central Africa; however, in the past few months, it has also spread to Sweden. It is likely that the virus will continue to spread globally, but its spread in the United States is predicted to be less concerning than in other countries.
Current trends predict that Africa will need as many as 10 million vaccines. The US plans to donate 50,000 vaccines to Congo, which will help the effort; however, many more vaccines will be necessary as mpox continues to spread. Additionally, the UN is looking into the virus in an attempt to understand the cause of the outbreak.
Although there has been no detection of the Clade Ib strain in other nations, there have been other, less severe strains found globally, including in the US. Predominantly, these cases are of the Clade II strain, the perpetrator of a previous outbreak in 2022.
The WHO’s General-Director Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus stated that “On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”
Fortunately, there are current global attempts to swiftly combat the virus, including the aid pouring in from unaffected nations. There have been donations of both vaccines and funds, such as the 1.45 million from the WHO’s emergency funds. This aid may prove vital for countries that have been affected by the virus in the coming months.
