What Is Mpox? WHO Declares It Global Health Emergency. The World Health Organization (WHO) set off alarm bells after it declared Mpox a global health emergency. Several African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have recorded an upsurge in the viral infection. WHO said the mpox outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern.
Mpox, also called monkeypox, is spreading at an alarming rate. A case has been detected in Sweden – the first case of a person infected with a new variant (mpox Clade I) of the contagious disease after visiting Africa.
In 2022, WHO declared mpox an international health emergency; it mainly affected gay and bisexual men. 208 deaths were recorded in 116 countries.
What is Mpox?
It is a viral infection that spreads from infected persons, from infected animals to persons, as well as from the environment to the people. This virus spreads through close contact with the infected individual, through talking, breathing close to the person, skin-to-skin touch, and sexual intercourse with the infected person.
Experts caution that the mpox virus is likely to persist on bedding, clothing, towels, and other surfaces etc. The virus also spreads to the fetus during pregnancy, and during or after birth through skin-to-skin contact.
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Like the coronavirus, it is a zoonotic disease that likely spreads from monkeys to humans. It’s common in Central and West Africa.
Symptoms of Mpox
Some common symptoms of mpox are rashes on the skin, lesions, sore throat, fever, backache, body ache, swollen lymph nodes, and low energy, among others. Initially, it starts with a rash or flat sore, and transforms into a blister which gets very itchy and painful.
The blisters can appear on the arms, hands, soles of feet, groin and genital areas, face, mouth, anus – all over the body. Vaccines are available to fight mpox. It’s a two-dose vaccine called JYNNEOS, which also helps protect against smallpox.
