Mpox, not the new COVID, WHO reassures

IF YOU’VE gotten wind of the monkeypox outbreak, don’t be alarmed; the World Health Organization (WHO) has said that it is not going to be the new COVID.

Recently, the Director-General of WHO declared the recent monkeypox (mpox) outbreak in different parts of Africa as a public health emergency of national concern. This follows the outbreak of an mpox strain called “Clade 1b.”

Many Filipinos started panicking upon learning that the Philippines has reported its first case of mpox this year, according to the Daily Sabah. They add that it is still being determined whether this is the new variant, as this has been deemed more dangerous than its predecessors.

A case of the new variant has also been in Sweden, Channel News Asia reports. 

As of this year, there have been over 14,000 cases and 524 deaths reported in Africa, and it’s estimated that this number will only increase in the months to come. ABS-CBN News reports that the new strain is mostly spread through sexual transmission among adults.

The WHO reassured, however, that this is not like COVID because much is already known about the virus, and there are plenty of means to control its spread. Hans Kluge, the European director of WHO, reassures that the spread of mpox is something that can be reined in.

Kluge recalls the spread of another, less dangerous strand of mpox, Clade 2b, back in 2022, which mostly affected men who had sex with other men, according to ABS-CBN News. Channel News Asia also explains that the disease can easily be spread through other forms of close physical contact, as well. 

He stated that they were able to control mpox in Europe via direct engagement with the communities who were most affected, taking the proper steps to ensure the safety of everyone involved. 

These steps included surveillance, the investigation of case contacts, the analysis of behavioral changes within the community, and of course, the distribution of vaccines.

In a media briefing, Kluge said: “We can and must tackle mpox together. So will we choose to put the systems in place to control and eliminate mpox globally? Or will we 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 that the WHO European region would not be going into lockdown, and stated clearly that no, the disease was not another COVID-19.