Mutant mpox outbreak declared emergency in Africa after rapid spread to 13 countries – and experts fear Europe could be next

A major outbreak of a mutant strain of mpox has been declared a public health emergency in Africa by health chiefs.

Scientists at the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) are sounding the alarm as this new virus spreads rapidly across the continent.

Health officials have declared a second global health emergency (/caption)

ReutersThe virus has been detected in schoolchildren(/caption)

Since the beginning of 2024, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has recorded more than 13,700 cases and 450 deaths.

The deadliest and most aggressive strain of the virus, formerly known as monkeypox, has now spread across Africa to 12 other countries, including Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR), Kenya and Rwanda.

It is essential to characterize this situation as a public health emergency.

This will push governments to act more quickly and potentially unlock vital medical supplies and aid for affected regions.

Africa CDC Director Jean Kaseya warned that the disease could spiral out of control if immediate measures were not taken to contain it.

“This statement is not a mere formality. It is a clear call to action. It is a recognition that we can no longer afford to be reactive.

“We must be proactive and aggressive in our efforts to contain and eliminate this threat,” he said.

Health officials outside Africa will also monitor the situation to assess the risk of the outbreak spreading.

Professor Marion Koopmans, from the Centre for Pandemic and Disaster Management, said the risk of the virus reaching Europe was “low, although possible”.

Experts have previously told The Sun that the disease could easily spread through international travel.

Smallpox is a viral infection that causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions.

And until a few years ago, most cases were reported in Central and West Africa.

But in 2022, the WHO declared a public health emergency, when a strain of mpox called clade 2 triggered the global outbreak that reached more than 100 countries, including the UK.

The DRC has been battling its variant, called “clade 1a,” for decades.

This version is more deadly, with a mortality rate of about 5% in adults and 10% in children, compared to 3% for its predecessor.

AFPWhat MPOX lesions can look like(/caption)

In April, alarm bells were sounded when scientists discovered a new strain of mpox that was easier to catch and had “pandemic potential” in Kamituga, a small mining town in the DRC.

The new virus, dubbed “clade 1b,” is behind a recent surge in cases in the east of the country.

Like clade 2, most new infections in the DRC appear to have been sexually transmitted.

But there have also been cases of the new virus spreading through casual contact in schools and workplaces.

BUGS DON’T RECOGNIZE BORDERS

Vaccines and treatments have already been used to combat the global epidemic, but they are not available in many countries, including Congo.

Earlier this month, authorities said the cyclone had reached the major city of Goma, which has an international airport with frequent direct flights to and from Europe.

“Pathogens don’t know borders,” Ben Oppenheim, a global health expert and senior director at U.S.-based Ginkgo Biosecurity, told The Sun.

“Goma is a major regional transit point, which increases the risk of the virus spreading regionally and potentially globally, including to Europe and the UK,” he said.

Trudie Lang, professor of global health research at the University of Oxford, added: “It is entirely possible that infected and contagious people could get on a plane and transmit the virus elsewhere.”