As the world reels from the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new threat appears to be emerging with mpox, formerly known as monkeypox. However, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is crucial not to draw hasty parallels between these two viruses.
“MPOX is not the new Covid”
On Tuesday, August 20, 2024, WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge stressed that despite growing concerns, MPOX should not be considered as "the new Covid". During a press briefing, he stressed that "The world already knows a lot about MPOX", particularly on clade 2, responsible for the global epidemic of 2022.
However, research is still ongoing to better understand clade 1, which has recently caused a surge in cases in Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and several neighboring countries.
A nascent epidemic in Ivory Coast
In Ivory Coast, the situation remains under surveillance following the appearance of several cases of mpox. As of August 20, the National Institute of Public Hygiene (INHP) had recorded 28 confirmed cases, including one death, in Abidjan.
Although this figure is an increase compared to the 6 non-fatal cases recorded at the beginning of the month, the Ivorian health authorities want to be reassuring. "The situation is not alarming", said Dr. Daouda Coulibaly of the INHP. "We are at the beginning of a nascent epidemic, there is no outbreak."
Global response and local precautions
Faced with the resurgence of MPOX, particularly clade 1b, which affects several East African countries as well as Sweden, the WHO raised the alert to the highest level by declaring, on August 14, a public health emergency of international concern.
This measure is a reminder of the importance of increased vigilance, although the WHO is not recommending confinement or wearing masks at this time. The organization emphasizes the need to break the chains of transmission, identify contacts of cases, isolate them and monitor them, as is currently being done in Côte d'Ivoire.
A well-known and controlled virus
According to WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge, the spread of mpox had been brought under control in 2022 on the Old Continent thanks to direct engagement with the most affected communities, "men who have sex with men".
Two years later, MPOX is far from representing a threat equivalent to that of Covid-19. "We know how to fight MPOX," he said, stressing that although clade 1 is more dangerous than clade 2, the modes of transmission and control measures are well established.
Clades 1a and 1b
"Clade 1a is what was formerly called the Congo Basin clade." and the sick are usually infected by infected animals, explains Dr Catherine Smallwood, head of emergencies at the WHO European office. She specifies that "We have not isolated or detected zoonotic transmission of clade 1b“.
According to the expert, "So this appears to be a strain of the virus that circulates exclusively within the human population, and some of the viral changes that virologists have identified show us that it is likely to transmit more efficiently between humans.". At this time, experts are unsure whether there is a real difference between clade 1a and clade 1b in terms of severity.
In Ivory Coast as elsewhere, the authorities remain vigilant, but the WHO and global health experts agree that MPOX, although worrying, is not the new Covid.