
<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



<p>Sweden&nbsp;<a href="https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/the-public-health-agency-of-sweden/communicable-disease-control/disease-information-about-mpox/one-case-of-mpox-clade-i-reported-in-sweden/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">confirmed</a>&nbsp;it had its first case of mpox, a disease formerly known as monkeypox, shortly after the World Health Organization declared an international health emergency over Africa’s escalating mpox outbreak.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



<p>The Public Health Agency of Sweden said in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/the-public-health-agency-of-sweden/communicable-disease-control/disease-information-about-mpox/one-case-of-mpox-clade-i-reported-in-sweden/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">press release</a>&nbsp;Thursday a person who “sought care at Region Stockholm has been diagnosed with mpox caused by the clade I variant.”</p>



<p>The person had been infected during a stay in Africa, the agency said, adding the diagnosis “does not affect the risk to the general population,” which is currently “very low.”</p>



<p>The case makes Sweden the first country outside of Africa to report a case of the new mpox variant.</p>



<p>The clade I&nbsp;<a href="https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/the-public-health-agency-of-sweden/communicable-disease-control/disease-information-about-mpox/one-case-of-mpox-clade-i-reported-in-sweden/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">variant</a>&nbsp;is an offshoot of the mpox virus that is “likely to be associated with a higher risk of a more severe course of disease and higher mortality” and seems to spread more easily between people, especially children, through regular close contact within households.</p>



<p>WHO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/news/item/14-08-2024-who-director-general-declares-mpox-outbreak-a-public-health-emergency-of-international-concern" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">said</a>&nbsp;Wednesday the upsurge of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and an increasing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern, which is “the highest level of alarm under international health law,” WHO’s director general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/WHO/status/1823771400420909265" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">said</a>.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



<p>This is the second public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) caused by mpox in as many years. In July 2022 a multi-country outbreak of mpox was declared as a PHEIC as cases “spread rapidly via sexual contact across a range of countries where the virus had not been seen before,” WHO said. That emergency ended less than a year later, in May 2023, after there had been a sustained decline in cases globally. As of Monday, at least 12 countries had reported Clade I mpox infections this year, with 2,863 cases and 517 deaths, according to the&nbsp;<a href="https://africacdc.org/news-item/africa-cdc-declares-mpox-a-public-health-emergency-of-continental-security-mobilizing-resources-across-the-continent/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention</a>, and suspected cases across the continent had surpassed 17,000. The virus itself is a close relative of smallpox, one of the deadliest human pathogens and the only infectious human disease to have been eradicated, though it is less severe.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-is-there-an-mpox-vaccine">Is There An Mpox Vaccine?</h2>



<p>There is a modern vaccine produced by Bavarian Nordic that was rolled out during the 2022 global outbreak, but supplies are limited and many of the countries with the largest outbreaks are also not equipped with the basic health infrastructure to deliver the shots effectively. But, Africa CDC did sign an agreement with the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority and Bavarian Nordic to provide more than 215,000 doses of their vaccine, and the Africa&nbsp;<a href="https://africacdc.org/news-item/africa-cdc-declares-mpox-a-public-health-emergency-of-continental-security-mobilizing-resources-across-the-continent/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">CDC said</a>&nbsp;it would oversee vaccine distribution and prioritize local needs.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">Tangent</h2>



<p>The declaration of the international emergency led to Bavarian Nordic’s shares <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/08/15/vaccine-maker-shares-soar-after-who-declares-health-emergency-over-africa-mpox-outbreak/">jumping</a> as much as 17% in early trading Thursday in Copenhagen, though gains fell throughout the day. On Wednesday, the company’s stock climbed about 12% following WHO’s declaration of the emergency.</p>


Monkeypox and Covid Tests Processing at AEGIS Labs

Sweden Reports Mpox Case—First Non-African Country With New Variant


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">Topline</h2>



<p>The World Health Organization declared an international health emergency Wednesday over an escalating mpox outbreak in Africa, joining the continent’s&nbsp;<a href="https://africacdc.org/news-item/africa-cdc-declares-mpox-a-public-health-emergency-of-continental-security-mobilizing-resources-across-the-continent/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">top public health body</a>—warning the disease could snowball without immediate steps to contain it and stoking fears a deadlier mpox pandemic could be on the horizon.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">Key Facts</h2>



<p>The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the African Union’s health watchdog and the top public health body on the continent, said a growing mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries constitutes a “public health emergency of continental security” on Tuesday.</p>



<p>The emergency designation is the agency’s first since launching in 2017 and comes amid growing concern among scientists over the rapid, unchecked spread of a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2024/06/26/dangerous-new-mpox-virus-sparks-global-outbreak-fears/">concerning mpox strain</a>&nbsp;that is more lethal than the version of the virus responsible for the global outbreak in 2022.</p>



<p>The variant, called mpox clade Ib (1B), is an offshoot of the clade I virus that has caused sporadic outbreaks in the DRC for decades and appears to spread more easily between people through routine close contact, especially among children.</p>



<p>Clade I infections have historically been confined to central Africa, predominantly the DRC, but the Africa CDC said the disease has now spread beyond Congo to at least 13 countries, with four—Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya—<a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1153141" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">reporting</a>&nbsp;their very first clade I cases in recent months.</p>



<p>Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya&nbsp;<a href="https://africacdc.org/news-item/speech-of-the-director-general-africa-cdc-on-the-declaration-of-mpox-as-a-public-health-emergency-of-continental-security-phecs/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">stressed</a>&nbsp;the declaration is “not merely a formality” but a “clarion call to action” in recognition of a “crisis that demands our collective action.”</p>



<p>Kaseya said “there is no need for travel restrictions at this time,” adding the decision will unlock funding and other resources and mobilize institutions in affected countries to empower health officials to act “swiftly and decisively” in the face of outbreaks.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-news-peg">News Peg</h2>



<p>WHO’s emergency committee met Wednesday and declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, which is “the highest level of alarm under international health law,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s director general, said during a&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/WHO/status/1823771400420909265" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">press conference</a>. This is the second time the agency has declared a global mpox outbreak: WHO declared a PHEIC in July 2022 and lifted the designation roughly a year later in May 2023. “In addition to other outbreaks of other clades of mpox in other parts of Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is essential to stop these outbreaks and save lives,&#8221; Tedros said.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-bad-is-the-outbreak-in-africa">How Bad Is The Outbreak In Africa?</h2>



<p>At least 13 African countries have reported clade I mpox infections and in 2024 so far there have been 2,863 cases and 517 deaths. Most of these have been in the DRC, the Africa CDC said. Given limited capacity for testing to confirm infections genetically, confirmed cases give only a limited picture. Suspected cases on the continent are in excess of 17,000 this year so far, up from just under 15,000 for all of 2023 and around 7,150 for 2022. Africa CDC said “this is just the tip of the iceberg” given the “many weaknesses in surveillance, laboratory testing and contact tracing.”</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-is-mpox-and-how-can-it-be-stopped">What Is Mpox And How Can It Be Stopped?</h2>



<p>Mpox is a disease formerly known as monkeypox. Symptoms include a fever, swollen lymph nodes and characteristic rash and the disease follows infection with the monkeypox virus, typically through close contact with infected humans, animals or contaminated materials like bed linen. The disease is normally mild but can kill, with young children and people with compromised immune systems especially vulnerable. The virus is a close relative of smallpox, one of the deadliest human pathogens and the only infectious human disease to have been eradicated, though it is much less severe (smallpox killed around a third of people infected in the best cases). There are two broad groups of monkeypox virus that cause mpox infections: clade I and clade II. Data suggests infections with the former has a fatality rate of around 10% and the rate for clade II is less than 1%. Specific treatments for infection are limited and largely untested, especially in mpox clade I infections, and hospitals are mostly restricted to providing supportive care in the worst cases. Smallpox vaccines have been shown to provide at least some degree of protection against infection, though data is limited, particularly for clade I infections. As smallpox was eradicated globally in 1980, and eliminated in many countries much earlier, many people alive today have not received a vaccine for the virus or, if they have, will have done so a long time ago. Other preventative measures include avoiding bushmeat, potentially infected animals and avoiding unprotected close contact with those who appear infected or materials they’ve come into contact with.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-tangent">Tangent</h2>



<p>Many older smallpox vaccines are kept as a biosecurity measure in national stockpiles but are not considered appropriate to use in most circumstances given the strong risk of potentially severe side effects. A more modern vaccine, produced by Bavarian Nordic, is an improvement on these and was rolled out during the global outbreak in 2022, but supplies are limited and the shots can be costly for poorer nations dealing with mpox outbreaks like many of those in Africa. Complicating matters is that many of these countries also lack the basic health infrastructure to deliver the shots to those who need them in order to stamp out outbreaks effectively, particularly in rural areas. Supplies are likely to be an ongoing issue. Kaseya said the Africa CDC has signed a deal for 215,000 vaccines that are available now with Bavarian Nordic, with further plans to secure 3 million doses this year. Kaseya did not disclose details of plans to secure another 3 million doses this year and even if it materializes it falls&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/africa-cdc-declares-mpox-public-health-emergency-continental-security-director-2024-08-13/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">far short</a>&nbsp;of the more than 10 million doses Kaseya said will be needed on the continent.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-background">Key Background</h2>



<p>Scientists have been aware of mpox for decades, but the disease has garnered relatively little international attention as outbreaks have typically been small in scope and limited to regions in central and western Africa, for clade I and II, respectively. Most cases were linked to spillover infections from animals and though scientists still aren’t clear what animals are the natural reservoirs of the virus, rodents are the primary suspect. That all changed in 2022 when the virus began spreading globally, predominantly, though not exclusively, in networks of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. The virus, an offshoot of clade II called clade IIb, appeared to be better able to spread among people and through sexual contact, a previously undocumented means of transmission.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crucial-quote">Crucial Quote</h2>



<p>“This is not just another challenge; it is a crisis that demands our collective action, a moment that calls upon the very essence of our humanity, our unity, and our strength,” Kaseya said when announcing the emergency declaration. “Our continent has seen many struggles,” Kaseya said, pointing to pandemics, outbreaks, natural disasters and conflicts, adding that “through every adversity, we have risen, not as fragmented nations, but as one Africa.” He urged nations to “summon that same spirit of solidarity” to tackle the mpox outbreak. “But let me be clear: this is not just an African issue. Mpox is a global threat,” Kaseya stressed, calling on nations around the world to help the continent combat the disease.</p>


Monkeypox Virus Photo Illustrations

WHO Declares Mpox A Public Health Emergency—Here’s What To Know


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-topline">TOPLINE</h2>



<p>Monkeypox infections could be flying under the radar as symptoms differ from what doctors have seen in the past, according to a study published Friday in<em>&nbsp;Lancet Infectious Diseases</em>, as public health officials in Europe and North America scramble to contain the growing outbreak.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-key-facts">KEY FACTS</h2>



<p>Monkeypox symptoms in recent cases seem to be milder and more localized than what doctors have seen in the past, according to a study of 54 patients from four sexual health centers in London in May.</p>



<p>The patients, all identifying as men who have sex with men, had symptoms and developed a rash, though the group had much higher rates of skin lesions in genital and anal areas, lower rates of fever and fatigue than past outbreaks and nearly a fifth (18%) did not report any symptoms before developing a rash.</p>



<p>Skin lesions—which have previously been documented as covering multiple body areas, especially the limbs, face and neck—were often more localized among the London patients and nearly a third (31%) had lesions only in genital or anal areas.</p>



<p>A quarter of the patients also tested positive for chlamydia or gonorrhea (or both) at the same time as the monkeypox infection, which, combined with the prevalence of lesions in genital and anal areas, suggests the virus was transmitted through close contact during sexual activity, said Dr. Ruth Byrne, a doctor involved with the research from the Chelsea &amp; Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.</p>



<p>Byrne noted that this finding might not accurately “reflect transmission in the wider population” and could stem from all the researchers being sexual health providers.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-to-watch-for">WHAT TO WATCH FOR</h2>



<p>Updated case definitions. Monkeypox has typically been characterized by flu-like symptoms including fever, swollen lymph nodes, body aches and tiredness followed by a diffuse characteristic rash developing across multiple body sites, often the face and limbs. As this study highlights, many of the cases being&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cdc-says-monkeypox-symptoms-look-different-rcna32998" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported in the U.S.</a>, U.K. and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.eurosurveillance.org/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2022.27.22.2200424" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Europe</a>&nbsp;during this outbreak are different. Sizable portions report no pre-rash symptoms at all and rashes begin in genital and anal areas, sometimes not spreading elsewhere, and some patients are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2022/06/03/1102945017/monkeypox-can-look-different-than-what-doctors-thought-heres-what-theyre-learnin" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported</a>&nbsp;to have had just one or two pox. Byrne said it’s possible the infection “may mimic common STIs, such as herpes and syphilis, in its presentation,” urging clinicians and patients to be vigilant to prevent misdiagnoses.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-big-number">BIG NUMBER</h2>



<p>1 in 6. That’s at least how many patients involved in the study would not have met current criteria for a probable monkeypox case, said Dr. Nicolo Girometti, also from the Chelsea &amp; Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Girometti urged officials to review guidelines in light of what clinicians have been seeing with the new outbreak.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-news-peg">NEWS PEG</h2>



<p>Monkeypox has spread for decades in parts of Central and Western Africa, though it has been largely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/europe/news/item/15-06-2022-statement---monkeypox--urgently-tackling-a-neglected-disease--together" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">neglected</a>&nbsp;by the rest of the world until multiple cases were found in Europe and North America in May. Its appearance alarmed experts and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/06/23/who-calls-urgent-meeting-over-whether-monkeypox-outbreak-signals-international-emergency/?sh=3b2cc1ea592c">public</a>&nbsp;health authorities and spurred governments into action to contain the outbreak.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/05/28/here-are-the-companies-that-could-profit-as-governments-scramble-to-secure-monkeypox-treatments-and-vaccines/?sh=6f812d6b3ecb">Vaccines and treatments</a>&nbsp;are available for monkeypox, though most were developed for its close viral relative, smallpox. Despite having endured outbreaks for decades, nations where the disease is endemic have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/06/16/african-nations-should-receive-monkeypox-vaccines-first-to-avoid-covid-inequality-agencies-warn/?sh=244ccbd6553f">not received any vaccines yet.</a>&nbsp;The U.S., meanwhile, is prioritizing states with high rates of infection and large numbers of people at risk of severe disease for its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/06/30/as-monkeypox-spreads-heres-who-should-get-a-vaccine-and-how/?sh=60c4dd365fd5">vaccine drive</a>. Supplies are limited and the current&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/06/28/biden-administration-expands-monkeypox-vaccine-access-in-states-with-high-case-rates/?sh=8cc4d8b17e1c">strategy</a>&nbsp;recommends anyone with a confirmed or suspected exposure get vaccinated, which includes people who have had close physical contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox, people who know their sexual partner was diagnosed and men who have sex with men who have recently had multiple sex partners in an area where monkeypox is spreading or in a venue where there was known monkeypox case. Though cases are predominantly among gay and bisexual men or men who have sex with men, experts stress that the virus can infect anyone and warn against stigmatizing anyone.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-we-don-t-know">WHAT WE DON’T KNOW</h2>



<p>If monkeypox can be transmitted sexually. Though the researchers suspect most patients in the study acquired monkeypox through sexual activity, they caution against labelling the outbreak as sexually transmitted. There is a significant difference between something being passed on through the close contact that accompanies sex and something that can only be acquired in a sexual context, they said, stressing the need for a coordinated response that addresses all ways we know monkeypox to spread. Monkeypox is primarily transmitted through close contact with an infected animal or person or contaminated objects like towels, clothes or bedding. It can also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/06/10/what-to-know-about-how-monkeypox-spreads-and-whether-you-should-wear-a-mask/?sh=5bc9391b20ee">spread</a>&nbsp;via respiratory droplets, which are created when people breathe, cough, talk or sneeze.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-further-reading">FURTHER READING</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/why-the-monkeypox-outbreak-is-mostly-affecting-men-who-have-sex-with-men" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Why the monkeypox outbreak is mostly affecting men who have sex with men</a>&nbsp;(Science)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2022/06/30/as-monkeypox-spreads-heres-who-should-get-a-vaccine-and-how/?sh=60c4dd365fd5">As Monkeypox Spreads, Here’s Who Should Get A Vaccine—And How</a> (Forbes)</p>



<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/"></a><strong><em>By Robert Hart, Forbes Staff</em></strong></p>


Tag: Monkey Pox

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Sweden Reports Mpox Case—First Non-African Country With New Variant

WHO Declares Mpox A Public Health Emergency—Here’s What To Know

Monkeypox Symptoms Look Different In Recent Cases Than Previous Outbreaks, Doctors Warn