Mpox not new COVID – WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has clarified that Mpox is not a new Coronavirus strain and should not be regarded as such.

On Tuesday, Hans Kluge, WHO’s Regional Director for Europe, said this at a media briefing in Geneva, Switzerland.

According to him, no strain of the virus, either the old Claude I and II strain or the new Clade Ib strain, should be regarded or treated like COVID-19.

“Mpox is not the ‘new COVID’ – regardless of whether it’s Mpox clade I, behind the ongoing outbreak in east-central Africa, or Mpox clade II, behind the 2022 outbreak that initially impacted Europe – and has continued to circulate in Europe since,” he said.

Mr Kluge called for a coordinated effort to curtail the spread of the disease, noting that government authorities in affected countries know the best approach.

“We can and must tackle Mpox together,” said Mr Hans at the media briefing.

“So, will we choose to put the systems in place to control and eliminate Mpox globally, or will we enter another cycle of panic and neglect? How we respond now and in the years to come will prove a critical test for Europe and the world,” he added.

Collaborative efforts

With the detection of the new clade I variant in Sweden, Mr Kluge urged countries in the European region to take steps needed to eliminate the transmission of every variant of the disease.

Last week, Sweden became the first country outside Africa to record a case of the Mpox clade I variant, Clade Ib, which is at the centre of the latest outbreak and has been spreading from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to neighbouring countries.

There are two main types of Mpox: Clade I and Clade II.

Clade I is responsible for the current Mpox outbreak, while Clade II caused the global outbreak, leading to a global health emergency declaration from July 2022 to May 2023.

The outbreak affected multiple non-endemic countries as approximately 24 nations, primarily in Europe, reported infections.

The majority of Mpox cases were identified among young men who made sexual contact with other men, a departure from the conventional patterns of transmission.

Speaking on this, Mr Kluge pointed out that the region successfully curtailed the spread of the Mpox virus through direct engagement with the most affected communities of men who have sex with men.

He also said, “We put in place robust surveillance, we thoroughly investigated new case contacts, and we provided sound public health advice.

“Behaviour change, non-discriminatory public health action and Mpox vaccination contributed to controlling the outbreak.

“Learning from our success, we urged governments and health authorities to sustain those measures – to help eliminate Mpox from Europe.

Mpox on decline in Nigeria

Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported a decline in the number of suspected and confirmed Mpox cases in the country over the past four weeks.

The public health agency’s latest data show a significant drop from the 102 cases reported during the previous four weeks.

These cases were recorded across 26 local government areas in 18 states.

Also, 51 new suspected cases were recorded.

The agency said that two of the new suspected cases were confirmed positive, with one case each reported in Ebonyi and Enugu states.

Difference between Mpox and COVID

Mpox is a viral infection that causes pus-filled lesions and flu-like symptoms. While Mpox and COVID-19 are viral infections, they differ in their origins, symptoms, transmission, and public health implications.

Mpox, formerly known as monkey pos, is caused by the monkeypox virus. This virus is a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus, which is closely related to the virus that causes smallpox.

On the other hand, COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is a type of coronavirus, like the viruses that cause MERS and SARS.

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Mpox spreads through close contact with an infected person or animal, including direct contact with skin lesions, body fluids, and contaminated objects.

It can also spread through respiratory droplets, but this is less common.

Some symptoms are fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, chills, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and sore throat.

A rash usually appears one to five days after the first symptoms. It often starts on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body, including the genitals and anus.

COVID-19 spreads through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks.

It can also spread through airborne transmission, especially in enclosed spaces.

For COVID, symptoms vary widely but commonly include fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, and loss of taste or smell. Severe cases can lead to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and other complications.