After the COVID-19 pandemic and epidemics of monkeypox of 2022, global attention regarding the spread of pathogenic viruses has remained high. These days we hear about again Of monkeypox (mpox) with theWorld Health Organization (WHO) which declares this epidemic in Africa an emergency of public health interest international. WHO had already opened the emergency for monkeypox in July 23, 2022 and it was declared concluded on May 11, 2023so it’s not a new thing. Despite the first case in Sweden, there are no grounds for alarmsince Vaccinations are starting and we have both vaccines available fromconsolidated effectiveness that of versions experimental. In addition, African and international health authorities have already activated mechanisms Of financing, surveillance support epidemiological and are helping countries to log in to vaccines and to develop strategies of distribution. Let’s see in detail what monkeypox is to have a greater awareness of what is happening, aware of the fact that the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has declared that the risk for Europe is “very low”.
What is mpox and how is it transmitted?
THE’mboxalso known as “monkeypox”, is an infectious disease caused by a virus of the genus Orthopoxvirus to which smallpox belongs. There are several types, belonging to two genetically distinct groups called clade 1 and clade 2It is precisely this last clade that made the disease famous due to the epidemics that broke out in 2022 in 116 WHO member countries, including the USA, Brazil and the UK.
It was the first time that the virus circulated outside of endemic contexts Africans and there are still outbreaks of clade 2 in other countries besides Africa. In Europe the first case of the new strain was registered in recent days (16 August 2024) in Sweden, in a man who had recently traveled to Africa and is now being closely monitored. But let’s dig deeper into its origins and health effects.
The virus reached humans through a spillovera species jump from monkeys and rodents in the African tropical forests where it is endemic. It can be transmitted through sexual intercourse, but also through direct contact with the skin. In fact, the disease involves the appearance, 15-20 days after exposure, of fever, muscle aches and skin lesions such as extensive irritation and pustules. People most at risk of serious complications are those immunocompromisedchildren and pregnant women.
The situation in Africa and some epidemiological data
There are currently epidemics of clade 1, specifically variants 1b and 1a. In north–west from the Republic Democratic of the Congo (RDC) there is an outbreak of class 1awhich mainly affects the children and spreads in various ways. In the nord-est from the DRC a new strain has emerged, clade 1bwhich spreads quickly among the adultsespecially because of sexual. There have also been 100 laboratory-confirmed cases of clade 1b in four neighboring countries with the DRC having never reported mpox before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
From an epidemiological point of view, since the beginning of the year the Democratic Republic of the Congo has more than 14,000 of the more than 17,541 cases registered in Africa, despite higher numbers are estimated due to limitations in testing capacity. In terms of severity, while the vast majority of those infected with clade 2 recover without serious complications, variant 1b is more severe with a lethality of 3%, although experts currently record a lethality of 10%.
What are health authorities doing?
African epidemiological centers have promptly notified international authorities like the World Health Organization. The health authorities of the African Union have declared a public health emergency and now also WHO has extended this emergency to an international level. This act allows pharmaceutical companies, for example, to apply for a special license for produce and ship vaccines faster. The prompt delivery of these vaccines would in fact be absolutely crucial, since vaccination appears to be effective against this viral strain.
The director general of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention of Africa Jean Kaseya also explained that he is counting heavily on BioNTech’s manufacturing of an mRNA vaccine for which 90 million dollars have been invested. The trials for this experimental vaccine have already started and there is also a factory ready in Rwanda. For the moment, director Kaseya estimates that at least 10 million doses are needed, while the WHO calculates that at least 15 million dollars will be needed to implement the surveillance and vaccination processes, having already allocated approximately one and a half million independently from your emergency fund.
While waiting for pharmaceutical companies to submit data for new vaccines that are even more specific for this variant, 215,000 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine are available, which‘European Union and producer Bavarian Nordic are ready to ship. The international organization Gavi has also declared that it wants to support, not only financially, vaccination efforts in Africa.
And should we be worried?
While the situation in Africa is quite serious at the momentfor Europe the risks are limited. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is closely monitoring the situation and has released a statement explaining that the risk is “very low” for Europe, and an emergency task force is already active.
It is certainly important. follow the developments of this epidemic in African countries to understand the risks posed also to countries outside the continent such as Europe, but at the moment there’s no need to worry. The production, shipping and administration of vaccines remain essential in a short timeso as not to make the painful lessons learned from the COVID pandemic in vain.
