Health workers walk between wards of the Mpox treatment center at the Nyirakongo General Referral Hospital, north of Goma, on August 17, 2024. With around 16,000 cases recorded since the beginning of the year, the DRC has been the center and epicenter of the epidemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday triggered its highest level of alert internationally.
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Mpox is “not the new Covid” and the risk to the general population is low, according to the WHO’s regional director for Europe.
In a statement Published On Tuesday, Dr. Hans Kluk rejected comparisons between mpox and the coronavirus pandemic.
“Together we can, and must, tackle mpox – across regions and continents,” Kluge said.
“Will we choose to set up systems to control and eliminate mpox globally? Or will we enter another cycle of panic and neglect?” He added.
“How we respond now will, in the years to come, prove an important test for Europe and the world.”
United Nations Health Organization recently declared mpox is the second global public health emergency in two years. The disease started in the Democratic Republic of Congo and started spreading to neighboring African countries.
Formerly known as monkey pox, mpox is a rare viral infection that spreads through close contact and is most commonly found in West or Central Africa. It is classified into two distinct virus strains or clades.
The World Health Organization last week declared the mpox outbreak a global health emergency.
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Clade I, found in Central Africa, is known to cause the most severe disease and death. Some outbreaks have killed 10% of the infected population, although recent outbreaks have had lower mortality rates, According to To the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Native to West Africa, clade II is the virus group that caused the global mpox outbreak in 2022. Infections with CDC are known to be less serious. to say More than 99.9% of people survive this strain.
Sweden on Thursday became the first country Out of Africa to record a case of mpox clade I variant at the center of a recent outbreak.
“Today, we see about 100 new mpox clade II cases in the European region every month,” Klueck said.
“However, the current level of alarm due to clade I gives Europe an opportunity to focus on clade II,” he added.
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