WHO Declares MPox International Health Emergency

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the Mpox virus a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). This comes as the viral cases have seen a recent resurgence in the ongoing geographic spread of the virus. In August this year, WHO declared the outbreak in parts of Africa as a public health emergency. The contagious disease has now spread across parts of central and east Africa. Scientists are concerned about the fast spreading of new variants of the virus and its high fatality rate.

The virus initially was limited to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is a country in central Africa. However, the new variant ’clade lb’ has spread outside DRC to the neighbouring African countries. The virus has also reached other continents like Europe, and Asia. For example, Canada recently confirmed its first case of the virus variant. Other countries that have seen cases of various impact variants are the UK, Sweden, and Germany. Even though the risk to the general population is low in Europe, it can be fatal to an absolutely healthy person as well.

The World Health Organisation reaffirmed the high alert status after the meeting of their emergency committee to the international media house, Reuters.

“Rising case numbers, the continued geographic spread, and the need for a coordinated response have made it crucial to maintain this emergency status.”, says the official statement by WHO.

What is M Pox

The virus was originally called the ‘Monkeypox virus’ and belongs to the same family as smallpox with lesser harmful implications. The infection was found in tropical animals of the rainforests of central and West Africa. Initially, the spread of the virus was limited to animals, but it has also entered the human species. This happens because of the self-mutating property of a virus, which helps it to adapt itself and survive in a new type of body. And so, the viral disease is found in primates like monkeys to rodents like squirrels, and finally in humans as well. After entering the human species, it became highly contagious.

The early symptoms of the viral disease include fever, headache, swelling back, pain, and aching muscles. The affected person soon develops swollen lymph nodes and rashes that start to develop on the face and spread to the rest of the body. These rashes can be extremely itchy or painful. In serious cases, fluid-filled lesions develop over the whole of the body, including the mouth, eyes, and genitals.

The infection usually lasts between 14 to 21 days before clearing up. The rashes dry down to become scrab, which falls off to leave a scar.

Often, the viral disease becomes fatal, particularly to vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women. It can spread from uncooked infected meat or close contact with the infected person.

MPox In India

The virus first came to light in the year 2022 but was relatively mild. During that time, the infection has only spread to 200 countries within Africa and Europe. The main cause of the spreading of the virus was through sexual transmission. However, a new variant started to spread in other parts of the world after 2023. There are vaccines to fight the viral infection, but they are generally undersupplied in developing nations like India.

In September 2024, a young Indian male patient who recently returned from abroad was identified as a suspected case of the virus. The Union Health Ministry said that the patient was isolated inside a designated hospital.

“Samples from the patient are being tested to confirm the presence of MPox. The case is being managed in line with the established protocols and contact tracing is ongoing to identify potential sources and assess the impact within the country.”, the health ministry said.