People on the Isla of Man have been urged to remain vigilant about symptoms of mpox as the dangerous strain spreads.
The island’s public health officials said it was “planning and preparing” to deal with any cases but the risk to residents were still “low”.
Thailand confirmed the first suspected case of the new clade 1b variant, prompting a swift action from regional health authorities. Countries across Asia are ramping up their defenses against mpox following the detection of a potentially more dangerous variant.
The rapid spread of the new mpox strain in Africa led the World Health Organisation to declare a public health emergency last week.
The UK is also preparing for potential cases of the new strain of mpox after Europe recorded its first case of the more deadly variant last week in Sweden.
Health officials said plans are under way to tackle a possible outbreak in the country ensuring healthcare workers are aware of the symptoms and that rapid tests are available.
But European health authorities have ruled out imposing border controls as the risk of a global virus outbreak is still considered “low”.
In Argentina, a cargo ship was quarantined over the first suspected case of mpox on the vessel, after one of its crew members showed “cyst-like skin lesions”, the health ministry said.
Key Points
- Isle of Man ‘planning and preparing’ for mpox outbreak
- Thailand confirms mpox case is clade 1b strain
- Asia ramps up border controls amid new variant concerns
- UK pledges £3.1m for Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Airline pilots in countries hit by mpox urged to ‘familiarise’ with virus
- Travellers urged to get mpox vaccine before going to impacted areas
How far has monkeypox or mpox spread?
Friday 23 August 2024 13:35
Salma Ouaguira
More than 17,000 cases have now been confirmed across the continent, with the WHO saying the outbreak is of “international concern”.
The public health emergency was declared by the group’s director general, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
The outbreak comes as a new strain is identified, named clade 1, said to be spreading mainly through sexual networks. WHO says it has been identified in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda – all countries that have never reported cases of mpox before.
One case of this new strain has now been detected in Sweden, the country’s public health agency has confirmed. They say the person, who is now in isolation, had contracted it during a stay in an African country where other cases have been reported.
Health officials in Thailand also said on Wednesday that they were seeking to determine the strain of an mpox case in a European man who arrived from Africa the previous week.
Both the Philippines and Pakistan reported that mpox cases they had been testing had been confirmed to be the previous variant already circulating in many countries and not the new clade 1 strain which is of concern to the WHO.
Here is a map of all mpox cases, of every strain, that have been confirmed around the world since the start of 2024:
Bavarian Nordic secures 440,000 dose vaccine deal during mpox health emergency
Friday 23 August 2024 13:03
Salma Ouaguira
Danish biotech firm Bavarian Nordic has secured a contract to supply 440,000 doses of its smallpox and mpox vaccines to an undisclosed European country.
The company confirmed that the latest order was expected and will not affect its overall vaccine production capacity.
The announcement comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global health emergency for mpox marking the second of such virus to hit in two years.
Bavarian Nordic CEO Paul Chaplin claimed that the company is capable of providing up to 10 million doses of its vaccines by the end of next year, with two millioin doses available within the remainder of this year.
Mr Chaplin revealed that production of the mpox vaccine could be scaled up prior to receiving further orders, depending on the outcome of ongoing discussions with the WHO.
Pictured: Mpox sufferer with blisters left by deadly virus
Friday 23 August 2024 12:33
Salma Ouaguira
EU health chief urges countries to boost vaccine donations in fight against mpox
Friday 23 August 2024 12:02
Salma Ouaguira
The Eu’s health chief Stella Kyriakides has called for increased vaccine donations to combat the spread of the mpox virus, urging a “coordinated and sustained” effort across Europe.
As the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety she issued a public letter pressuring EU member states to contribute to vaccine doses.
Around 215,000 doses have been donated to the Africa Centres for Disease Control so far facilitated by the EU’s anti-pandemic taskforce.
Ms Kyriakides emphasized the urgency of the situation, setting a donation “deadline” for the end of August.
But it remains unclear if there will be consequences for member states that fail to meet this target.
I have written to Health Ministers regarding plans to donate #mpox vaccines & therapeutics.
— Stella Kyriakides (@SKyriakidesEU) August 23, 2024
➡️ solidarity is key to facing global health threats.
We count on Member States to support our African partners in managing the outbreak.@EU_Commission stands ready to coordinate. pic.twitter.com/5pfoYEf5kS
Asian countries tighten entry restrictions to tackle mpox outbreak
Friday 23 August 2024 11:30
Salma Ouaguira
Five countries are tigheting their border controls in response to the emergence of a more dangerous variant of the mpox virus.
Thailand, Singapore, South Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia are rolling out new health protocols.
In Thailand, travelers arriving from countries experiencing active outbreaks will undergo rigorous screening and must register with the authorities.
Both Thailand and South Korea have implemented policies to allow officials to quarantine individuals showing symptoms of the virus.
Mapped: Which countries have reported mpox cases so far?
Friday 23 August 2024 11:00
Salma Ouaguira
Singapore to start ‘precautionary’ mpox controls at seaports
Friday 23 August 2024 10:30
Salma Ouaguira
Singapore has confirmed it will begin temperature and visual screening of sea checkpoints as precaurionary measures against the mpox outbreak.
Screening measures will also be introduced at Changi and Seletar airports for passengers arriving from affected countries.
The Ministry of Health said the measures are set to boost Singapore’s surveillance capabilities against the virus on its borders.
Health officials said: “While thus far, there are no direct flights between Singapore and any mpox outbreak country, from 23 August 2024, we will put in place temperature and visual screening for crew and passengers arriving on ships from mpox affected areas.”
Singapore confirms 13 cases detected of mpox Clade 2
Friday 23 August 2024 10:03
Salma Ouaguira
Singapore has detected 13 cases of mpox Clade 2 this year, the health ministry said on Thursday.
All mpox infections so har have been “less severe”, the ministry added.
Thailand also confirmed an mpox case this week, the second case of the variant confirmed outside Africa.
Friday 23 August 2024 09:30
Salma Ouaguira
Thailand confirms Asia’s first known case of dangerous new mpox variant
Friday 23 August 2024 09:00
Salma Ouaguira
Thailand has confirmed Asia’s first known case of a new, more dangerous strain of mpox in a European traveller.
The patient, a 66-year-old man who arrived from an unnamed African country on 14 August, has tested positive for the Clade 1b variant, which is deadlier and more transmissible.
“Thailand’s Department of Disease Control wishes to confirm the lab test result which shows mpox Clade 1b in a European patient,” the department said in a statement.
The man had minimal contact with other people after he arrived in Thailand and sought medical attention the following day after he experienced symptoms similar to mpox, authorities said.
Read the full story below:
How is mpox spread?
Friday 23 August 2024 08:30
Salma Ouaguira
The outbreak comes as a new strain is identified, named clade 1, said to be spreading mainly through sexual networks.
WHO says it has been identified in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda – all countries that have never reported cases of mpox before.
Although mpox was not generally a sexually transmitted infection in 2022-23, it was suggested by public health officials that the outbreaks were linked to sexual activity - with the majority, but not all, cases amongst men who have sex with men.
Pictured: Mpox prevention at internally displaced persons camps in Goma
Friday 23 August 2024 08:00
Salma Ouaguira
Isle of Man ‘planning and preparing’ for mpox outbreak but risk remains ‘low’
Friday 23 August 2024 07:30
Salma Ouaguira
People on the Isla of Man have been urged to remain vigilant about symptoms of mpox as the dangerous strain spreads.
The island’s public health officials said it was “planning and preparing” to deal with any cases but the risk to residents were still “low”.
A case of the deadly virus Clade Ib was detected in Sweden last week.
The World Health Organisation declated the outbreaks originating from Democratic Republic of the Congo a public health emergency of international concern.
Why has the WHO declared a global emergency?
Friday 23 August 2024 07:00
Salma Ouaguira
Mpox was first detected in humans in the DRC in 1970 and is considered endemic to countries in Central and West Africa.
However, WHO said the recent surge of cases in DRC and its spread to neighbouring countries constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) on Wednesday.
According to WHO, mpox has been reported in DRC for more than 10 years, with the number of cases increasing steadily over the period.
So far in 2024, there have been more than 15,600 cases of mpox and 537 deaths, which the WHO said exceeds last year’s total.
There have also been 100 lab-confirmed cases of clade 1b in four countries neighbouring the DRC that have not reported mpox before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
What is mpox? What you need to know about the latest global health emergency
Friday 23 August 2024 06:00
Salma Ouaguira
Bavarian Nordic to boost mpox vaccine production to tackle outbreak
Friday 23 August 2024 05:00
Salma Ouaguira
Danish biotech firm Bavarian Nordic could ramp up production of its mpox vaccine even before having orders lined up, based on the outcome of talks this week with the World Health Organisation, the company’s CEO told Reuters.
Chief Executive Officer Paul Chaplin said in an interview that the company urgently needs to make the call on whether to manufacture “at risk” - or without signed contracts - because diverting or switching manufacturing capacity from its other vaccines to mpox will take time.
In order to make that decision, Bavarian Nordic “would need to be reasonably convinced that those orders would be coming through”, Chaplin said.
“We’ll have to wait and see how the discussions develop this week and we’ll make a decision later this week what we’re doing.”
He said the discussions were with the WHO, the global vaccine group Gavi, and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and with individual governments in Africa and elsewhere.
It comes as the company said on Saturday it has informed the Africa CDC that it could manufacture 10 million doses of the vaccine by the end of 2025, and could supply up to 2 million doses this year.
But the 2 million doses by year-end would not be possible unless Bavarian Nordic “changes gears” to start producing more of its mpox vaccine now, instead of its other vaccines, Chaplin said: “Every week we don’t switch over, we lose some of that capacity.”
Travellers urged to get mpox vaccine before going to impacted areas of Africa
Friday 23 August 2024 04:00
Salma Ouaguira
People travelling to areas affected by the recent mpox outbreak in Africa have been urged to get vaccinated by the EU’s public health body.
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) updated its advice to people going to “epidemic areas” to “consult their healthcare provider or travel health clinic regarding eligibility for vaccination against mpox”.
The ECDC said it is “highly likely” that Europe will have “more imported cases of mpox caused by the clade 1 virus currently circulating in Africa”.
Read the full story below:
EU rules out mpox border controls amid WHO warning
Friday 23 August 2024 03:00
Salma Ouaguira
European health authorities have ruled out imposing border controls as the risk of a global mpox outbreak is still considered “low”.
The Health Security Committee (HSC) confirmed that there should not be “a public health emergency in Europe as things stand”.
A spokesperson added: “The HSC members agreed on the importance of a closely coordinated approach and the need to continue monitoring the situation very closely.”
Vaccination recommendations are kept for certain groups at more risk but the commission has ruled out extending the rollout for the general public for now.
It comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared outbreaks in Africa a global emergency.
Airline pilots in countries hit by mpox urged to ‘familiarise’ with virus
Friday 23 August 2024 02:00
Salma Ouaguira
Airline pilots operating to countries affected by mpox are being urged to “familiarise themselves with the key facts” on the disease, as compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
A bulletin has been issued by the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (Ifalpa), saying: “The WHO has just determined that the upsurge of Mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, following the emergence and rapid spread of a new virus strain.
“Several outbreaks of mpox have occurred in different countries, with different modes of transmission and different levels of risk.”
Pilots have been told to read up on transmission, signs and symptoms, treatment, vaccination, self-care and prevention.
Ifalpa says: “The WHO does not recommend any international travel restriction measures at this time.”
What are the Monkeypox symptoms?
Friday 23 August 2024 01:00
Salma Ouaguira
Mpox can cause a range of symptoms with some people experiencing less severe signs and others developing more serious illness.
According to the World Health Organisation, common symptoms include a rash which may last for two to four weeks.
Some adults can experience fever, headache, muscle aches, back, pain, low energy and swollen glands.
Patients can develop lymph nodes that look like blisters or sores and can appear in the face, palms of th hands, soles of the feet, groin and genital areas.
Severe mpox cases include larger lesions and bacterial infections of the skin, blood and lungs.
Pictured: Mpox hits refugees in internal displaced camps in Mudja, Congo
Friday 23 August 2024 00:00
Salma Ouaguira
World Health Organization: mpox is not 'the new Covid'
Thursday 22 August 2024 23:00
Salma Ouaguira
A World Health Organization (WHO) official has stressed that mpox is not the new COVID.
The clarification comes as authorities say they know how to control its spread regardless of whether it is the new or old strain.
“We can and must tackle mpox together,” said Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, in a media briefing.
Argentina rules out suspected case of mpox on cargo ship
Thursday 22 August 2024 22:00
Salma Ouaguira
Argentinian health officials said that mpox tests on a crew member on a quaranted cargo ship has come back negative.
The Indian national had reported cyst-like lesions on his chest and face and was working ont the ship traveling to port city of Rosario.
Before the tests, authorities had quarantined the ship in the Parana River as a precaution.
In a statement the health ministry said the patient tested negative for mpox but positive for chicken pox.
What is mpox, and why is this outbreak so concerning?
Thursday 22 August 2024 21:00
Salma Ouaguira
The number of cases this year has jumped dramatically, already exceeding last year’s figure.
Last week, the Africa CDC reported that mpox has now been detected in at least 13 African countries. Compared with the same period last year, the agency said cases are up 160 per cent and deaths have increased by 19 per cent.
Earlier this year, scientists reported the emergence of a new form of mpox in a Congolese mining town that can kill up to 10 per cent of people and may spread more easily.
Unlike in previous mpox outbreaks, where lesions were mostly seen on the chest, hands and feet, the new form of mpox causes milder symptoms and lesions on the genitals.
That makes it harder to spot, meaning people might also sicken others without knowing they’re infected.
During the global outbreak of mpox in 2022, gay and bisexual men made up a large majority of cases and the virus was mostly spread through close contact, including sex.
Pictured: Pakistan prepares hospitals for outbreak after mpox case detected
Thursday 22 August 2024 20:00
Salma Ouaguira
What is the difference between mpox Clade I and Clade II?
Thursday 22 August 2024 18:00
Salma Ouaguira
There are two distinct clades of the mpox virus: Clade I and Clade II. Clade II was responsible for the global outbreak that began in 2022. Clade I is considered more severe and is classified as a high consequence infectious disease.
According to the public health agency of Sweden, the individual contracted the virus during a stay in a part of Africa experiencing a major outbreak of clade I mpox.
Clade I is more likely to cause severe disease and higher mortality than clade IIb — the variant previously found in Sweden. Although the risk to the general population remains very low, the public health agency said the authorities are closely monitoring the situation.
China to monitor borders for mpox over next six months
Thursday 22 August 2024 17:00
Salma Ouaguira
China has said it will monitor people and goods entering the country for mpox over the next six months, following the declaration by the World Health Organisation that the virus is again a global health emergency.
Individuals from countries with mpox outbreaks who have had contact with cases or show symptoms are required to report to customs. Vehicles and goods from affected areas should be sanitised.
China classifies mpox as a Category B infectious disease, allowing for emergency measures during outbreaks.
The global health agency has released $1.45m from its emergency fund to assist “surveillance, preparedness and response activities” to contain the spread of virus, but would need up to $15m to ramp up the system effectively.
Pictured: Infected mpox patients in Burundi
Thursday 22 August 2024 15:47
Salma Ouaguira
Mpox vaccine maker Bavarian sees shares soar
Thursday 22 August 2024 15:00
Salma Ouaguira
Shares of Danish biotech Bavarian Nordic surged following robust earnings and a significant order of its mpox vaccine.
US firm Emergent BioSolutions saw its shares jump nearly 10 per cent yesterday.
The mpox outbreak, primarly affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo has prompted international concern with countries pilling up vaccines for a potential outbreak.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Africa CDC have both issued public health emergencies as the virus spreads to more than a dozen countries.
The WHO has reported over 17,000 cases and more than 500 deaths this year.
How worried should we be about mpox?
Thursday 22 August 2024 14:30
Salma Ouaguira
The first case of a new infectious strain of mpox has been detected in Europe after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared outbreaks in Africa a global emergency.
Experts said the new strain is “associated with a more severe disease and higher mortality rates” than the one that caused the global mpox outbreak in 2022.
The new strain of mpox is known as clade 1b and it emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last year, according to WHO.
The disease is now rapidly spreading to neighbouring countries in Africa, mainly through sexual networks, WHO said, with one case confirmed in Europe.
Mpox is passed on through close physical contact, including during sexual contact, kissing, cuddling or holding hands.
Symptoms include a high temperature, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, exhaustion, joint pain and a rash.
Dr Jonas Albarnaz, a research fellow specialising in pox viruses at the Pirbright Institute, said the case of clade 1b in Sweden “is concerning for two main reasons”.
“First, this is the first clade 1 mpox virus case outside Africa. This indicates that the extent of the international spread of clade 1 outbreak in DRC might be larger than we knew yesterday.
“And second, clade 1 mpox virus is associated with a more severe disease and higher mortality rates than the clade 2 virus responsible for the international mpox outbreak in 2022.”
Thailand confirms mpox case is clade 1b strain
Thursday 22 August 2024 14:00
Salma Ouaguira
An mpox case reported in Thailand this week has been confirmed as being the clade 1b strain of the virus, the first in the country, a disease control official said.
“This man is likely infected from an endemic country,” Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, told Reuters, adding no other local infections had been detected through contact tracing.
Thailand on Wednesday said the case was a 66-year-old European man who had arrived from an African country where the disease was spreading.
Clade 1b has triggered global concern due to the ease with which it spreads.
Health officials on alert for UK cases of new mpox strain
Thursday 22 August 2024 13:30
Salma Ouaguira
UK health officials have said they are preparing for any potential cases of a new strain of mpox after the World Health Organisation declared outbreaks of the virus in Africa a global emergency.
The strain, known as clade 1b, emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there are currently no cases of the virus in the UK.
Its deputy director Dr Meera Chand said: “The risk to the UK population is currently considered low.
“However, planning is under way to prepare for any cases that we might see in the UK.
“This includes ensuring that clinicians are aware and able to recognise cases promptly, that rapid testing is available, and that protocols are developed for the safe clinical care of people who have the infection and the prevention of onward transmission.”
Mpox not new Covid and can be stabbed, expert says
Thursday 22 August 2024 13:00
Salma Ouaguira
A World Health Organisation official stressed on Tuesday that mpox, regardless of whether it is the new or old strain, is not the new COVID, as authorities know how to control its spread.
“We can and must tackle mpox together,” said Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, during a UN media briefing.
“So will we choose to put the systems in place to control and eliminate mpox globally? Or we will enter another cycle of panic and neglect? How we respond now and in the years to come will prove a critical test for Europe and the world,” he added.
The clade 1b variety has caused global concern because it seems to spread more easily through routine close contact.
Kluge said that the focus on the new clade 1 strain will also help in the fight against the less severe clade 2 variety that has spreading globally since 2022, allowing Europe to improve its response through better health advice and surveillance.
About 100 new cases of the clade 2 mpox strain are now being reported in the European region every month, added Kluge.
Mpox transmits through close physical contact, including sexual contact, but unlike previous global pandemics such as COVID-19 there is no evidence it spreads easily through the air.
Health authorities need to be on alert and flexible in case there are new, more transmissible clades or ones that change their transmission route, but there are no recommendations for people to wear masks, said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic.
Mpox hotspost mapped: Full list of confirmed cases
Thursday 22 August 2024 12:30
Salma Ouaguira
The outbreak, named clade 1, said to be spreading mainly through sexual networks. WHO says it has been identified in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda – all countries that have never reported cases of mpox before.
One case of this new strain has now been detected in Sweden, the country’s public health agency has confirmed. They say the person, who is now in isolation, had contracted it during a stay in an African country where other cases have been reported.
Health officials in Thailand also said on Wednesday that they were seeking to determine the strain of an mpox case in a European man who arrived from Africa the previous week.
Both the Philippines and Pakistan reported that mpox cases they had been testing had been confirmed to be the previous variant already circulating in many countries and not the new clade 1 strain which is of concern to the WHO.
Here is a map of all mpox cases, of every strain, that have been confirmed around the world since the start of 2024:
African officials call for solidarity not ‘unfair’ travel bans
Thursday 22 August 2024 10:30
Salma Ouaguira
African health officials have called the international community not to impose travel bans on countries dealing with an outbreak of mpox.
Africa CDC’s head Jean Kaseya said: “Don’t punish Africa. We hear from here and there that you want to apply travel ban, we need solidarity, we need you to provide appropriate support, this vaccine is expensive.
“I clearly request our partners to stop thinking about travel bans against Africa, that will bring us back to the unfair treatment from the Covid period and not help the world to move forward.”
Mr Kaseya hoped vaccines can coon arrive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the outbreak is believed to have originated from.
He added there had been collaboration between countries and health organisations but has warned community-level testing centres are not enough.
How did the UK deal with the last outbreak?
Thursday 22 August 2024 10:00
Salma Ouaguira
Before the spring of 2022, cases in the UK were usually associated with travel to or from West or Central Africa.
However, in May of that year sustained transmission of the virus was identified in the UK, leading to a large outbreak mostly in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men.
A vaccination programme was launched in the UK in the summer of 2022 and closed the following July.
According to the UKHSA, there were 3,732 confirmed and highly probable mpox cases reported in the UK up to December 31, 2022. In 2023 and up to July 31 this year, 286 cases were reported.
Of these, 269 were in England – with 116 patients presumed to have caught the virus in the UK and 82 outside of the country.
UK pledges £3.1m for Congo in bid to contain mpox
Thursday 22 August 2024 09:30
Salma Ouaguira
A £3.1 million UK Government package to tackle mpox will “ultimately benefit us all”, the Africa minister has said.
On a visit to the Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lord Collins of Highbury pledged money to prevent the spread of the disease, which was previously known as monkeypox.
Lord Collins said on his visit to Kinshasa: “Working together with our partners and using the expertise and dedication of Congolese scientists, including those at the world-leading research centre I have visited in DRC, our support will play an important role in ensuring global health security for all.
“By protecting the health and wellbeing of communities across DRC, and by helping contain these outbreaks, we reduce the risk of diseases spreading further afield. This will ultimately benefit us all.”
According to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the cash package will benefit more than 4.4 million people in already-affected communities, as part of a partnership with Unicef.
Pictured: Pakistan prepares hospital wards for mpox outbreak
Thursday 22 August 2024 09:03
Salma Ouaguira
Asia ramps up border controls amid new variant concerns
Thursday 22 August 2024 08:03
Salma Ouaguira
Countries across Asia are ramping up their defenses against mpox following the detection of a potentially more dangerous variant.
Thailand has reported its first suspected case of the new clade 1b variant, prompting a swift action from regional health authorities.
Asian nations are intensifying surveillance and preventive efforts. The rapid spread of the new mpox strain in Africa led the World Health Organisation to declare a public health emergency last week.
South Korea has begun monitoring passengers from high-risk African countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Taiwan has responded by stockpiling vaccines and launching targeted immunisation campaigns for high-risk groups, including healthcare workers.
Pakistan said it is introducing new screening at airports after confirming at least one case of mpox infection.
Watch| Debunked: Anti-Vaxxers claim mpox outbreak is a ‘scandemic’
Thursday 22 August 2024 07:30
Salma Ouaguira
Why has the WHO declared a global emergency?
Thursday 22 August 2024 07:00
Salma Ouaguira
Mpox was first detected in humans in the DRC in 1970 and is considered endemic to countries in Central and West Africa.
However, WHO said the recent surge of cases in DRC and its spread to neighbouring countries constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) on Wednesday.
According to WHO, mpox has been reported in DRC for more than 10 years, with the number of cases increasing steadily over the period.
So far in 2024, there have been more than 15,600 cases of mpox and 537 deaths, which the WHO said exceeds last year’s total.
There have also been 100 lab-confirmed cases of clade 1b in four countries neighbouring the DRC that have not reported mpox before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
Airline pilots in countries hit by mpox urged to ‘familiarise’ with virus
Thursday 22 August 2024 06:00
Salma Ouaguira
Airline pilots operating to countries affected by mpox are being urged to “familiarise themselves with the key facts” on the disease, as compiled by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
A bulletin has been issued by the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (Ifalpa), saying: “The WHO has just determined that the upsurge of Mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, following the emergence and rapid spread of a new virus strain.
“Several outbreaks of mpox have occurred in different countries, with different modes of transmission and different levels of risk.”
Pilots have been told to read up on transmission, signs and symptoms, treatment, vaccination, self-care and prevention.
Ifalpa says: “The WHO does not recommend any international travel restriction measures at this time.”
Thursday 22 August 2024 01:00
Salma Ouaguira
Thailand officials monitoring 43 individuals in contact with mpox patient
Thursday 22 August 2024 00:00
Salma Ouaguira
Authorities are monitoring 43 individuals who may have been in contact with the patient.
“We have done a test and they definitely have mpox and it’s definitely not Clade 2,” Mr Thongchai was quoted as saying by AFP.
“We are convinced the person has the Clade 1 variant, but we have to wait to see the final result in the lab for two more days.”
Thailand previously detected 800 cases of the Clade 2 variant but