The mpox virus epidemic continues to pose a public health threat of international concern. It was decided on Friday by the World Health Organization (WHO), which left warning against this epidemic at the highest possible level. TASR informs about it according to the report of the AFP agency.
According to the WHO, the decision is based on increasing number of cases of infection and their geographical distribution. Operational challenges in the field and the need to create and maintain a cohesive response across countries also contributed to its adoption. The WHO declared an international emergency in August, when the new mpox variant spread from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to neighboring states.
The disease, formerly known as monkey pox, is endemic in West and Central Africa for more than 50 years. Its larger outbreak occurred in 2022. The disease then spread to Europe, the United States and other parts of the world. This year across Africa they recorded more than 46,000 suspected cases of mpox, but mainly in the DRC, and over 1000 deaths.
Monkey pox (mpox) is an infectious diseasewhich is transmitted by close contact. Symptoms of mpox include rashes, fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, muscle, back and headache pain, as well as respiratory symptoms. Deaths from mpox are rare in countries with advanced health systems. A new variant known as Clade 1b was also recorded in Sweden, Germany and Britain.
