WHO official: Mpox is not the new COVID
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A World Health Organization official stresses that Mpox, regardless of whether it is the new or old strain, is not the new COVID-19.
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A health worker attends to an mpox patient, at a treatment centre in Munigi, eastern Congo, on August 19, 2024. (AP)
A World Health Organization (WHO) official emphasized on Tuesday that Mpox, whether it's the new or old strain, is not comparable to COVID-19, as authorities have effective measures in place to control its spread.
"We can and must tackle Mpox together," said Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, in a 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.
Mpox, a viral infection causing pus-filled lesions and flu-like symptoms, is typically mild but can be fatal in some cases.
The clade 1b variant of Mpox has raised global concern due to its apparent ability to spread more easily through routine close contact. A case of this variant was confirmed in Sweden last week, connected to a growing outbreak in Africa.
Kluge emphasized that the attention on the new clade 1 strain offers Europe an opportunity to refocus on the less severe clade 2 variety, improving public health guidance and strengthening surveillance efforts.
Kluge noted that around 100 new cases of the clade 2 mpox strain are now being reported monthly in the European region.
Yesterday, the Philippines detected a new case of the monkeypox virus, marking the country's first confirmed infection since December last year, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
The patient, a 33-year-old Filipino male with no history of international travel, was diagnosed with the virus. The DOH is currently awaiting sequencing results to determine the specific strain involved.
