Mpox Outbreak Result of Decades of Neglect: WHO

Leading African scientists have accused the international community of decades of neglect in addressing sporadic mpox epidemics in regions with limited immunity.

They blamed the alarming rise in the virus across Africa on this failure.

The new, more contagious strain of the virus, which recently prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global emergency, has been allowed to spread unchecked in countries barely able to control such outbreaks, according to Dr. Dimie Ogoina, chair of WHO’s mpox emergency committee.

“What we are witnessing in Africa now is different from the global outbreak in 2022,” Ogoina said during a virtual news conference on Tuesday.

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, had been circulating for years in Nigeria and other parts of Africa, until a broader outbreak spread to more than 70 countries in 2022.

Unlike the previous outbreak, which mainly affected gay and bisexual men, the current wave is being transmitted through sexual contact, as well as close contact among children, pregnant women, and other vulnerable populations.

Ogoina said that while most people over 50 may have some immunity due to past smallpox vaccinations, Africa’s predominantly young population remains at high risk.

Mpox, a viral infection related to smallpox, typically causes milder symptoms, including fever, chills, and body aches, but can result in severe cases with prominent blisters on the face, hands, chest, and genitals. The disease primarily spreads through close skin-to-skin contact, including sexual activity.

Earlier this month, WHO declared the escalating mpox outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and 11 other African countries a global emergency.

Of the 18,910 reported cases so far this year, 94 percent have been in Congo alone, where 535 of the 541 reported deaths occurred. Nearly 70 percent of mpox infections in Congo were in children under 15.

Dr. Placide Mbala-Kingebeni, a Congolese scientist who plays a key role in identifying the newest mpox strain, warned that the diagnostic tests currently used in the region often fail to detect the variant, which complicates efforts to track its spread.

Research published by Mbala-Kingebeni in May revealed that this new strain, while potentially less deadly, is more transmissible and better adapted to human transmission.

The new variant has been identified in four other African countries as well as in Sweden, where health officials confirmed a case earlier this month linked to travel in Africa. WHO has stated that, so far, there is no evidence to suggest that the new strain is more dangerous.

Marion Koopmans, a virus expert at Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands, highlighted the severe consequences mpox is having on vulnerable groups, including instances of pregnant women miscarrying or giving birth to infected babies.

In Europe, Spain is the only country so far to donate some of its mpox vaccine stockpile. Its health ministry announced on Tuesday that it would donate 20 percent, or roughly 500,000 doses, to African countries struggling to contain the outbreak. “We consider it senseless to accumulate vaccines where they are not needed,” the ministry stated, as it urged other European nations to follow suit.

Despite these pledges, none of the promised vaccines have yet to reach Africa. Last week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported commitments from the European Union and vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic for 215,000 doses, while the U.S. has donated 50,000 doses to Congo, with Japan also contributing some doses.

In the absence of effective vaccines and treatments, Dr. Ogoina urged African health workers to focus on supportive care, emphasizing the importance of adequate nutrition and mental health support for patients, who often face stigma due to the disease. “It’s very, very unfortunate that we have had mpox for 54 years and we are only now thinking about therapeutics,” he said.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press