Mpox virus latest: WHO calls for $135 million fund to stop outbreaks as new strain mutating rapidly
Scientists “don’t understand” the latest outbreak of the Clade Ib Mpox variant
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for $135 million funding to combat the Mpox strain outbreak, which scientists say is mutating “more rapidly” than expected.
On August 14, the organisation declared an Mpox-related global health emergency for the second time in two years.
Speaking to WHO member states, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the latest outbreak “can be controlled and can be stopped”.
$135 million of funding will be needed over the next six months to halt the outbreak, an amount which will “likely increase” over time, Mr Ghebreyesus added.
Scientists have expressed concern at the rate at which the current Mpox strain, Clade Ib, is mutating.
Nigerian scientist Dr. Dimie Ogoina said they “don’t understand the outbreak very well”, leading to difficulty in addressing the disease’s transmission and severity.
Seattle-based doctor Dr. Miguel Paredes said the virus is mutating “more rapidly than we would expect”.
Democratic Republic of Congo has faced the brunt of the outbreak, which has also spread to Burundi, Central African Republic, Rwanda, and Uganda.
The UK is readying itself after Sweden reported Europe’s first case of the deadly variant. Three days ago, Thailand confirmed Asia’s first suspected case of the variant.
Pictured: Infected mpox patients in Burundi
Mpox vaccine maker Bavarian sees shares soar
Shares of Danish biotech Bavarian Nordic surged following robust earnings and a significant order of its mpox vaccine.
US firm Emergent BioSolutions saw its shares jump nearly 10 per cent yesterday.
The mpox outbreak, primarly affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo has prompted international concern with countries pilling up vaccines for a potential outbreak.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Africa CDC have both issued public health emergencies as the virus spreads to more than a dozen countries.
The WHO has reported over 17,000 cases and more than 500 deaths this year.
How worried should we be about mpox?
The first case of a new infectious strain of mpox has been detected in Europe after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared outbreaks in Africa a global emergency.
Experts said the new strain is “associated with a more severe disease and higher mortality rates” than the one that caused the global mpox outbreak in 2022.
The new strain of mpox is known as clade 1b and it emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) last year, according to WHO.
The disease is now rapidly spreading to neighbouring countries in Africa, mainly through sexual networks, WHO said, with one case confirmed in Europe.
Mpox is passed on through close physical contact, including during sexual contact, kissing, cuddling or holding hands.
Symptoms include a high temperature, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, exhaustion, joint pain and a rash.
Dr Jonas Albarnaz, a research fellow specialising in pox viruses at the Pirbright Institute, said the case of clade 1b in Sweden “is concerning for two main reasons”.
“First, this is the first clade 1 mpox virus case outside Africa. This indicates that the extent of the international spread of clade 1 outbreak in DRC might be larger than we knew yesterday.
“And second, clade 1 mpox virus is associated with a more severe disease and higher mortality rates than the clade 2 virus responsible for the international mpox outbreak in 2022.”
Thailand confirms mpox case is clade 1b strain
An mpox case reported in Thailand this week has been confirmed as being the clade 1b strain of the virus, the first in the country, a disease control official said.
“This man is likely infected from an endemic country,” Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, director-general of the Department of Disease Control, told Reuters, adding no other local infections had been detected through contact tracing.
Thailand on Wednesday said the case was a 66-year-old European man who had arrived from an African country where the disease was spreading.
Clade 1b has triggered global concern due to the ease with which it spreads.
Health officials on alert for UK cases of new mpox strain
UK health officials have said they are preparing for any potential cases of a new strain of mpox after the World Health Organisation declared outbreaks of the virus in Africa a global emergency.
The strain, known as clade 1b, emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said there are currently no cases of the virus in the UK.
Its deputy director Dr Meera Chand said: “The risk to the UK population is currently considered low.
“However, planning is under way to prepare for any cases that we might see in the UK.
“This includes ensuring that clinicians are aware and able to recognise cases promptly, that rapid testing is available, and that protocols are developed for the safe clinical care of people who have the infection and the prevention of onward transmission.”
Mpox not new Covid and can be stabbed, expert says
A World Health Organisation official stressed on Tuesday that mpox, regardless of whether it is the new or old strain, is not the new COVID, as authorities know how to control its spread.
“We can and must tackle mpox together,” said Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, during a UN media briefing.
“So will we choose to put the systems in place to control and eliminate mpox globally? Or we will enter another cycle of panic and neglect? How we respond now and in the years to come will prove a critical test for Europe and the world,” he added.
The clade 1b variety has caused global concern because it seems to spread more easily through routine close contact.
Kluge said that the focus on the new clade 1 strain will also help in the fight against the less severe clade 2 variety that has spreading globally since 2022, allowing Europe to improve its response through better health advice and surveillance.
About 100 new cases of the clade 2 mpox strain are now being reported in the European region every month, added Kluge.
Mpox transmits through close physical contact, including sexual contact, but unlike previous global pandemics such as COVID-19 there is no evidence it spreads easily through the air.
Health authorities need to be on alert and flexible in case there are new, more transmissible clades or ones that change their transmission route, but there are no recommendations for people to wear masks, said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic.
Mpox hotspost mapped: Full list of confirmed cases
The outbreak, named clade 1, said to be spreading mainly through sexual networks. WHO says it has been identified in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda – all countries that have never reported cases of mpox before.
One case of this new strain has now been detected in Sweden, the country’s public health agency has confirmed. They say the person, who is now in isolation, had contracted it during a stay in an African country where other cases have been reported.
Health officials in Thailand also said on Wednesday that they were seeking to determine the strain of an mpox case in a European man who arrived from Africa the previous week.
Both the Philippines and Pakistan reported that mpox cases they had been testing had been confirmed to be the previous variant already circulating in many countries and not the new clade 1 strain which is of concern to the WHO.
Here is a map of all mpox cases, of every strain, that have been confirmed around the world since the start of 2024:
Mpox 2024 mapped: Every country where cases of new virus strain has spread
While the new clade 1 strain of mpox has appeared in parts of Africa, other types have been recorded around the world this year, including in the UK
African officials call for solidarity not ‘unfair’ travel bans
African health officials have called the international community not to impose travel bans on countries dealing with an outbreak of mpox.
Africa CDC’s head Jean Kaseya said: “Don’t punish Africa. We hear from here and there that you want to apply travel ban, we need solidarity, we need you to provide appropriate support, this vaccine is expensive.
“I clearly request our partners to stop thinking about travel bans against Africa, that will bring us back to the unfair treatment from the Covid period and not help the world to move forward.”
Mr Kaseya hoped vaccines can coon arrive in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the outbreak is believed to have originated from.
He added there had been collaboration between countries and health organisations but has warned community-level testing centres are not enough.
How did the UK deal with the last outbreak?
Before the spring of 2022, cases in the UK were usually associated with travel to or from West or Central Africa.
However, in May of that year sustained transmission of the virus was identified in the UK, leading to a large outbreak mostly in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men.
A vaccination programme was launched in the UK in the summer of 2022 and closed the following July.
According to the UKHSA, there were 3,732 confirmed and highly probable mpox cases reported in the UK up to December 31, 2022. In 2023 and up to July 31 this year, 286 cases were reported.
Of these, 269 were in England – with 116 patients presumed to have caught the virus in the UK and 82 outside of the country.
UK pledges £3.1m for Congo in bid to contain mpox
A £3.1 million UK Government package to tackle mpox will “ultimately benefit us all”, the Africa minister has said.
On a visit to the Institut National de Recherche Biomedicale in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lord Collins of Highbury pledged money to prevent the spread of the disease, which was previously known as monkeypox.
Lord Collins said on his visit to Kinshasa: “Working together with our partners and using the expertise and dedication of Congolese scientists, including those at the world-leading research centre I have visited in DRC, our support will play an important role in ensuring global health security for all.
“By protecting the health and wellbeing of communities across DRC, and by helping contain these outbreaks, we reduce the risk of diseases spreading further afield. This will ultimately benefit us all.”
According to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the cash package will benefit more than 4.4 million people in already-affected communities, as part of a partnership with Unicef.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments