Pakistan reports first Mpox case, Europe warns Europe to prepare for Mpox

[New Sancai Release] Health authorities warned on August 16 that Europe must prepare for more cases of the deadly Mpox strain, which has killed hundreds of people in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The World Health Organization urged pharmaceutical companies to ramp up vaccine production, and China said it would screen travelers for the virus after Sweden and Pakistan announced the first cases of a more deadly strain outside Africa.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said France was on "the highest alert" and would implement "new recommendations" for travelers to dangerous areas.

Mpox is caused by a virus that is transmitted from animals to humans, but can also be spread from person to person through close physical contact. It causes fever, muscle aches, and large boil-like skin lesions.

The World Health Organization declared on August 14 that the rapid spread of the new branch 1b virus strain constituted an international public health emergency, the agency's highest alert.

This comes after a more deadly form of measles spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to other African countries.

"We do need manufacturers to really scale up so that we can get more, more vaccines," WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told reporters.

The World Health Organization requires countries with vaccine stocks to donate vaccines to countries with outbreaks.

Mpox "is particularly dangerous for people who have weakened immune systems and therefore may be infected with HIV or who are malnourished," Harris said, as well as for young children.

The United States has said it will donate 50,000 doses of Mpox vaccine to the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Attal said France would also provide vaccines to at-risk countries.

Danish drugmaker Bavarian Nordic said it was ready to produce up to 10 million doses of its Mpox vaccine in 2025 but would need contracts to start production.

The Stockholm-based European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said the overall risk in Europe was "low." But it warned that "effective surveillance, laboratory testing, epidemiological investigation and contact tracing capabilities are critical to detect cases."

Hundreds Killed in Democratic Republic of Congo

The Congolese government said on August 15 that the virus has swept through the Democratic Republic of the Congo, killing 548 people so far this year.

Nigeria has recorded 39 cases of Mpox this year, but no deaths, according to Nigerian health authorities. Outbreaks have also been reported in previously unaffected countries including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Swedish Public Health Agency announced on August 15 that a case of Clade 1b had been registered.

Epidemiologist Magnus Gisslen said in a statement that the patient became infected while visiting "areas in Africa where there are large outbreaks of Mpox Clade 1."

The Ministry of Health of Pakistan said in a statement that the Mpox strain in the Pakistani cases is currently unknown. The patient is said to be a 34-year-old man "from a Gulf country."

China has announced that it will begin Mpox screening of people and goods entering the country within the next six months. Chinese Customs said that people from countries with outbreaks who have been exposed to measles cases or develop symptoms should "declare to customs upon entry." It added in a statement that vehicles, containers and items coming from areas with Mpox cases should be disinfected.

Vaccination Campaign

There are two subtypes of Mpox: the more lethal Clade 1 subtype, prevalent in the Congo Basin of central Africa; and Clade 2, prevalent in West Africa.

A global outbreak involving clade 2b that began in 2022 has resulted in approximately 140 deaths among approximately 90,000 cases, primarily affecting gay and bisexual men.

Between January 1 and June 30, 2024, 107 cases of the mild Mpox variant were reported in France.

The World Health Organization's European regional office in Copenhagen said the cases in Sweden "clearly reflect the interconnectedness of our world". But it added: "Travel restrictions and border closures do not work and should be avoided."

(Compiled by: Wang Jimin)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: Compiled and published by New Sancai)