The MPOX virus is spreading rapidly in the Congo. More than 1,000 cases are reported every month. The world may be facing a new global health crisis.
Kinshasa – In 2022, the MPOX virus began to spread internationally from Africa – with Europe particularly affected. However, the Emergency lasted only a year. The World Health Organization (WHO) subsequently declared an emergency. In this case, now the disease is spreading rapidly again. Reports fr.de.
MPOX Virus: There are already outbreaks in some Asian countries
“We are concerned about international spread,” WHO expert Rosamund Lewis said in Geneva on Friday (15 December). She pointed out that a “rapid” increase in cases had already been detected in the Congo, and outbreaks were now also being recorded in some Asian countries. WHO estimates the virus “has spread to people in the DRC and neighboring countries. endangering those in and around the world”.
| MPOX is also known as Monkey Box |
| By direct contact with skin or mucous membranes |
| Fever, headache and muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, skin changes |
MPOX is a viral infection, which can be transmitted from animals to humans. To avoid prejudice and stigma, the World Health Organization (WHO) renamed the disease monkey pox a year ago. The viruses were first found in rodents in West and Central Africa.
For example, MPOX is spread during sexual intercourse
Spread from person to person through close contact such as sex. Compared to smallpox, which has been thought to have been eradicated for nearly four decades, MPOX infections are generally milder. However, they can be severe and, in rare cases, fatal. Fever and skin blisters are common symptoms of this disease.
In Kinshasa, authorities have already registered 13,000 suspected cases this year, more than double last year's figure, according to Lewis. More than 600 of the victims have already died. What is particularly alarming is that, for the first time, women are more affected than men in epidemic-affected areas. Lewis suspects it may be related to sex work in the Congo. At the end of November, the WHO sounded the alarm because of the epidemic situation in the Congo and sent a team of experts to the central African country. WHO is actively working on developing a vaccine.
In May 2023, the state of emergency for MPOX was lifted
The disease began to leave Africa in May 2022 and spread primarily to Europe. This particularly affected men who had sex with men. Similar to the Corona pandemic, the WHO declared an international health emergency, but this was lifted in May 2023. A Corona Emergency was also declared by WHO in the same month. Currently available However, a new variant with altered symptoms.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded more than 92,000 infections in 117 different countries since May 2022. Lewis reports that the number of re-filed cases has been increasing in recent months, from around 100 cases a month in June, July and August, to now “more than 1,000 a month”. Particularly affected are Asian countries such as Japan, Vietnam, China and Indonesia, where outbreaks are on the rise. (tt/afp)
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