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WHO: Spread of monkeypox a health emergency
Published 15 August 2024 at 08:56
Foreign. The World Health Organization WHO has decided that the spread of the disease monkeypox (politically correct name: "mpox" should be classified as an international threat to human health. Several African countries are affected, above all the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The decision has been taken by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. This means that WHO sees a need for coordinated efforts internationally with the aim of reducing the spread of infection, and that WHO can make new recommendations to member countries.

The outbreak of monkeypox – a disease that is primarily associated with actively homosexual men – is taking place mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but cases have also been confirmed in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Burundi, among others.

The European infection control authority ECDC continuously assesses the risk for Europe's and thus Sweden's population. So far, the risk has been described as very low. However, a new assessment is expected shortly. At the same time, there are trips to and from the area.

This means that at the moment, according to the Public Health Agency, there is above all a risk of isolated import cases.

- The Public Health Agency continuously monitors and monitors the epidemiological situation, both in Sweden and internationally. Mpox has previously been classified as a disease of general danger. There are therefore infection prevention measures in place such as testing, infection tracing and rules of conduct. Sweden also has access to vaccines and antiviral drugs, says state epidemiologist Magnus Gisslén.

The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries is caused by the virus variant clade I. It causes the same basic disease of monkeypox as clade IIb, the variant that occurs in countries also outside Africa, but is more often associated with a more severe course and higher mortality. Several reports also indicate that clade I is more contagious, with a risk of non-sexual transmission in close contact as well.

In Sweden, no cases of monkeypox caused by clade I have been identified. In contrast, approximately 300 cases caused by the clade IIb variant have been recorded since 2022.

- The ongoing outbreak of mpox clade I in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the spread to countries in the region, is worrying. It is important that both the healthcare system and people who have recently stayed in the region know about the outbreak. This is to ensure the right care in case of suspected symptoms and to minimize the risk of spreading in Sweden, says Magnus Gisslén.

The spread of mpox was classified as an international threat to human health from July 23, 2022 to May 11, 2023. Then it was primarily a disease caused by the clade IIb variant.