Health authorities expect more cases of Mpox in Europe
Due to the recent outbreaks of Mpox in Africa, the World Health Organization has declared the highest level of alert. Following the first case in Europe, the European counterpart, ECDC, is also taking action. However, ECDC does not want to cause panic.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) expects more people infected with the new Mpox variant to arrive in Europe. The agency, based in Sweden, made this announcement after the first case of the new variant outside of Africa was confirmed in a northern European country. The infected person had previously been in Africa.
However, the likelihood of sustained transmission in Europe is very low if imported cases are quickly diagnosed and control measures are implemented, ECDC said. The new variant is believed to be more infectious than previous ones and can cause more severe infection. However, Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is generally not easily transmitted and requires direct contact.
ECDC recommends that European countries issue travel advice for people traveling to or returning from affected areas. The risk of infection for people who have close contact with individuals who may have imported Mpox from Africa is moderate. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the highest level of alert due to several Mpox outbreaks in Africa and the new potentially more dangerous variant.
Until a few years ago, infections were mostly limited to cases where people had eaten the meat of infected animals. Symptoms include fever, body aches, and skin lesions similar to smallpox. The mortality rate is estimated to be between one and ten percent of cases, depending on the health system of the affected country and the specific virus strain.
There are two large "families" of the Mpox virus, known as clades. The more dangerous virus group 1 is currently prevalent mainly in central Africa, in the Congo Basin. Virus group 2 circulates mainly in West Africa.
The ECDC is closely monitoring the spread of infectious diseases like Mpox, particularly the new variant, in Europe due to its increased infectiousness and potential for severe infections. Despite the risk, the agency emphasizes the need for calm as sustained transmission in Europe is unlikely with prompt diagnosis and control measures.
