Mpox is 'not the new COVID,' WHO says

The World Health Organization (WHO) insisted on Tuesday that mpox, the viral infection currently spreading in central Africa, "is not the new COVID."

Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, told a UN media briefing that global health authorities already understand a great deal about mpox and know how to control its spread despite having declared it a "public health emergency of international concern" (PHEIC) last week.

"We already know a lot about clade 2," said Kluge, referring to the mpox variant responsible for a 2022 epidemic. "Now," he added, "we need to learn more about clade 1" — the new, more contagious variant.

"We can and must tackle mpox together," he said.

"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."

What is mpox? 

Mpox cases outside regions like Central and West Africa, where the virus is endemic, have historically been rare and were usually linked to travel or imported animals. 

In the span of two years, however, the WHO has twice declared the spread of mpox a global health emergency. 

In 2022, mpox spread to more than 70 countries that hadn't reported cases previously.

This year, a new mpox variant caused a surge of cases and deaths in Congo and in neighboring countries, causing WHO to again declare the spread of the virus an emergency with international concern. 

mf/lo (AFP, Reuters)