Monkeypox outbreak: What is Mpox, what are its symptoms, and why has WHO declared it a global health emergency?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared monkeypox a public health emergency of global concern following its outbreak in some countries in Africa.

A WHO committee of experts has cautioned that the upsurge of monkeypox (Mpox) in Congo and some African nations has the potential to spread to other countries in the continent and also outside the region.

This is for the second time Mpox has been declared as a public health emergency of global concern. In July 2022, the multi-country outbreak of Mpox was declared a public health emergency. The outbreak of Mpox via sexual contact was seen across countries where the virus had not been seen before.

World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak of Mpox in Africa a global health emergency on August 14. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared the virus a public health emergency on Tuesday

What is Mpox?

According to the WHO, Mpox is a viral disease caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. According to WHO, two different clades exist: clade I and clade II.

Mpox can be transmitted to humans through physical contact, touch, kissing, or sex with someone who is infectious. It also spreads through animals, when hunting, skinning, or cooking them; contaminated materials like sheets, clothes or needles, says WHO.

Key symptoms of Mpox

The WHO lists common symptoms of Mpox as a skin rash or mucosal lesions that can last 2–4 weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.

Countries impacted by Mpox

The WHO has reported 15,664 cases and 537 deaths in Congo alone so far this year, which is higher than last year's figures. The outbreak in Congo is due to two separate outbreaks of two strains, or clades of the virus that causes Mpox.

More than 100 cases of clade 1b strain have been reported in four countries neighbouring Congo – Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Also, cases of clade 2 strain have been reported in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria and South Africa this year.

Outside Africa continent, Pakistan has reported its first case of Mpox. A 34-year-old person who returned from Saudi Arabia has tested positive for the virus. Sweden has also stated that a new Mpox variant has been found in an infected individual.

Meanwhile, stocks from the healthcare sector are on the surge after the WHO declared monkeypox a global emergency. Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, Fortis Healthcare, Aster DM Healthcare, Dr. Lal PathLabs, and Hester Biosciences rise between 1 to 4% in today’s trading session.