November 8, 2024
As deadlier strain of mpox spreads, WHO and CDC mull stronger warnings

Now that a deadlier form of mpox has spread beyond the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is poised to warn doctors in the United States about potential cases.

“CDC, in the coming days, will issue an updated health notification to clinicians about the developing mpox situation,” the agency said in a statement to NBC News.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a virus that causes fevers, headaches and muscle aches, as well as painful boils on the skin. It’s spread from person to person through close, skin-to-skin contact. In rare cases, it can be deadly.

The World Health Organization is examining whether the latest outbreak should be declared a global public health emergency.

“I am considering convening an International Health Regulations Emergency Committee to advise me on whether the outbreak of mpox should be declared a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC),” WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tweeted Sunday.

It was unclear Monday when the WHO or the CDC would issue any alerts.

Why is mpox a concern for health officials?

Congo, located in central Africa, has experienced the worst of an ongoing outbreak of mpox. More than 12,000 people there have been diagnosed, and at least 470 people have died.

But now neighboring countries, including Kenya and the Central African Republic, have reported cases linked to the strain circulating in Congo.

It’s different from the kind of mpox that spiked in 2022, which mainly affected men who have sex with men. Those cases have decreased significantly in the U.S.

The current strain, called clade 1b, is worrisome because of its virulence. Nearly 4% of clade 1b mpox cases are deadly, compared to less than 1% of the 2022 subtype, called clade 2b.

And it’s children who are particularly affected by 1b.

“Most reported cases in known endemic provinces continue to be among children under 15 years of age,” the WHO wrote on its website. “Infants and children under five years of age are at highest risk of severe disease and death.”

Children account for 62% of mpox deaths in Congo, according to the WHO.

Is the U.S. at risk for a similar mpox outbreak?

The Jynneos mpox vaccine, given in two doses, is effective for both clade 1 and clade 2 of mpox, according to the CDC.

But less than a quarter of those most at risk for mpox in the U.S. have had both of those shots, according to the CDC.

Despite the dismal uptake, those vaccines are abundant in the U.S., compared to African countries.

“There’s a limited supply of them worldwide, and the vast majority of that supply is in countries like the U.S. that have purchased those vaccines as part of a strategic national stockpile,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.

“I’m a lot more concerned for the people in African countries where those vaccines are not available,” she said.

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