The World Health Organization (WHO) has once again declared mpox a global public health emergency, this time due to the rapid spread of a new and more deadly strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cases have since been identified in neighboring countries and even beyond the African continent, including Thailand, the Philippines, Sweden, and Pakistan.
Health officials are raising alarm bells as the new strain, known as clade 1b, has a higher fatality rate than previous variants. It has also been confirmed outside of Africa, specifically in Thailand.
Mpox is a viral infection transmitted through close contact, including sexual contact. Symptoms include fever, chills, muscle aches, and pus-filled lesions. While generally mild, mpox can be fatal. The current outbreak is caused by clade 1, which appears to spread more easily and has a higher mortality rate than the 2022 strain, clade 2. Young people are particularly vulnerable, with most deaths occurring among children.
The recent surge in cases is attributed to the emergence of clade 1b, which is spreading rapidly through person-to-person transmission, often via sexual contact. Although first identified in 2024, it is believed to have originated in the DRC around 2023.
“The outbreak associated with clade Ib in the DRC primarily affects adults and is spreading rapidly, sustained largely, but not exclusively, through transmission linked to sexual contact and amplified in networks associated with commercial sex and sex workers,” the WHO stated in a press release on August 19.
Besides the DRC, cases of clade 1b have been reported in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Thailand. Clade 1 cases have been detected in the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, and Sweden. Milder clade 2 cases have been identified in Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, Nigeria, South Africa, the Philippines, and Pakistan.
The WHO’s declaration of a “public health emergency of international concern” is its highest level of alert, aimed at accelerating global public health measures and cooperation to contain a disease.
“It’s clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus when the declaration was made on August 14.
However, Dr. Hans Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe, emphasized last week that mpox is “not the new Covid.” In a statement published on Tuesday, Kluge dismissed comparisons between mpox and the coronavirus pandemic, stating that the risk to the general population remains low.
“We can, and must, tackle mpox together — across regions and continents,” Kluge said.
Authorities are taking steps to address the outbreak. Vaccines exist to treat the virus, but access is limited. The WHO is working with countries and vaccine manufacturers to increase availability for affected regions. The U.N. health agency has allocated $1.45 million in contingency funds and may need to release more in the coming days. An initial funding requirement of $15 million is expected for its response plan.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has partnered with vaccine maker Bavarian Nordic to deliver 2 million doses this year and 10 million by the end of 2025. Bavarian Nordic is also supplying vaccines to countries outside of Africa and seeking approval from the European Union’s drug regulator to extend the use of its mpox vaccine for teenagers.
