United States: A new and almost deadly strain of mpox which is called monkeypox, has been found in four countries in Africa. In the premises of Democratic Republic of Congo, there have been over 14,000 cases and 511 deaths from this illness.
As reported by CNN, the disease has now spread to Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, which hadn’t reported any cases before. Health officials worldwide are very worried about this situation and are working to control the spread of the disease.
WHO officials said on this Wednesday that they already plan to convene an emergency in the committee soon determine whether the outbreak is a public health emergency of the international concern.
Health Officials on High Alert
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also issued a Health Advisory on Wednesday to address the “risk of additional spread,” recommending that physicians maintain a “heightened index of suspicion for mpox” in people who recently travelled from the DRC or bordering countries.
Understanding Mpox and Its Spread
Mpox is a viral disease that can quickly spread between the people and from infected in the animals it can also spread through the close contact like very close contact such as touching , kissing or having sex as well as through the contaminated or infected material like sheets, clothing and the needles this is according to the WHO.
Symptoms include a fever and a painful rash, a headache muscle and back pain and the low energy and also enlarged with the lymph nodes.
Evolution and Risk Factors
For a very long time, the disease had largely been found in Central and West Africa, but it also began spreading in Europe and North America in 2022.
Mpox is characterized by two genetic clades which is I and II. A clade is almost a broad grouping of viruses that has ultimately evolved over decades and is a genetic and clinically distinct group.
Clade Ib, which has been circulating in the DRC for years, causes more severe disease and is responsible for the current outbreak there. Although it is deadlier, there is no evidence to suggest that it is more transmissible, according to Dr. Rosamund Lewis, the WHO technical lead for the global mpox response.