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Deadlier strain of mpox spreads to more countries
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday, declared the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency.WHO convened its emergency mpox committee amid concerns that a deadlier strain of the virus, clade Ib, had reached four previously unaffected provinces in Africa. This strain had previously been contained to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Independent experts on the committee met virtually Wednesday to advise WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on the severity of the outbreak. After that consultation, he announced that he had declared a public health emergency of international concern — the highest level of alarm under international health law.
This is a status given by WHO to “extraordinary events” that pose a public health risk to other countries through the international spread of disease. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) had earlier on Tuesday declared the outbreak a public health emergency of continental security — the first such declaration by the agency since its inception in 2017.
Since the beginning of this year, more than 17,000 cases and more than 500 deaths have been reported in 13 countries in Africa. The highest number of cases — more than 14,000 — is in the DRC, which reported 96 per cent of confirmed cases this month.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that can spread easily between people and from infected animals. It can spread through close contact such as touching, kissing or sex, as well as through contaminated materials like sheets, clothing and needles, according to WHO. Symptoms include a fever, a painful rash, headache, muscle and back pain, low energy and enlarged lymph nodes.
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Deadlier strain of mpox spreads to more countries The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday, declared the ongoing mpox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency.WHO convened its emergency mpox committee amid concerns that a deadlier strain of the virus, clade Ib, had reached four previously unaffected provinces in Africa. This strain had previously been…
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