Global Health Emergency Declared Over Mpox Outbreak as Cases Surge

MANILA — With the global public health community on high alert, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global health emergency over the rapid spread of a new and more contagious mpox variant, clade 1b, marking a significant escalation in efforts to contain the virus.

According to Philippines News Agency, the declaration came amid growing international concern over the variant, which was confirmed in Sweden as the first case outside Africa a day after the global health emergency was announced. The disease, which has been rebranded from its former name, monkeypox, to mpox by the WHO in 2022 to avoid racial and stigmatic connotations, has seen cases in 2024 surpass those of the previous year, with over 15,600 infections and at least 500 deaths reported globally. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) accounts for more than 90% of these cases.

Mpox, which belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox, is transmitted to humans through close contact with an infected person or animal, or through contaminated materials. Its symptoms include rashes, fever, and muscle aches, with most cases being mild. However, the new clade 1b variant has raised concerns due to its higher contagion levels and potential to cause severe symptoms.

Michael Marks, a professor of medicine at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, emphasized the severity of the new outbreak, noting that clade 1 has a mortality rate significantly higher than the less lethal clade 2. The current outbreak’s mortality rate stands at approximately 4%, consistent with previous outbreaks of clade 1. Despite the deadly nature of this variant, Marks explained that mpox is less transmissible than COVID-19, making a pandemic on the scale of the coronavirus unlikely, though the outbreak could still expand.

Preventative measures are being scaled up, with countries beginning to monitor and respond to the spread of the virus more aggressively. Vaccination, particularly using vaccines originally developed for smallpox, remains a critical strategy. However, access to these vaccines is limited, especially in Africa where the virus is most prevalent, prompting calls for increased vaccine supply to control the epidemic effectively.