TRANSCRIPT
It's been described as a "public health emergency of continental security" - an outbreak of mpox has spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring countries.
The disease, formerly known as monkeypox, is transmitted through close contact and causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions.
Most cases are mild, but it can kill.
And in Africa, their centre for Disease Control and Prevention says cases are spreading at an 'alarming rate'.
Clinical Infectious Diseases Epidemiologist, Salim Abdool Karim, explains.
"Africa is currently in a situation where there's a high burden of cases. There are far more cases now than there were when the WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern in 2022. In fact, if you look at the period, the most recent period, the number of cases in Africa is more than triple what it was when it was declared in 2022."
The first international outbreak of mpox was in 2022, when the disease spread widely outside Africa, largely via sexual contact.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that over 15 thousand mpox cases and 461 deaths were reported on the continent this year so far, representing a 160 per cent increase from the same period last year.
The centre's Director-General Jean Kaseya issues a stark warning.
"This is not just an African issue. Mpox is a global threat, a menace that knows no boundaries, no race, no creed. It is a virus that exploits our vulnerabilities, playing off our weakest points. And it is in this moment of vulnerability that we must find our greatest strength and demonstrate that we're all learning from the COVID lesson and applying solidarity."
The outbreak in Congo began with the spread of an endemic strain, known as Clade I.
But the new variant, known as Clade Ib, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, particularly among children.
In July, there was an outbreak of mpox in camps for displaced peoples near Goma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - mainly infecting adults but also evident in children.
The endemic clade in Congo has a fatality rate of between 4 and 11 per cent and is often more dangerous for children - but the risk for children posed by the new variant is still unclear.
Addressing the World Health Organisation in July, head of mpox, Rosamund Lewis, said work was underway to investigate the new variant's transmissibility and severity.
"So, children will be exposed, they will be affected. At the moment, they are few in number, but we wouldn't be surprised if that number grows. And children can also infect each other because of their close contact, playing together or sharing the same living quarters. So we do expect to see children, but we hope that those cases at least can be detected quickly and given the appropriate clinical care that they need to reduce pain and reduce the length of illness and avoid complications."
This comes as there was an increase in mpox cases in Australia in recent months.
The majority of these cases were acquired in Australia, rather than overseas as was the case previously.
In 2023, there was a total of 26 cases of mpox reported by the Department of Health, while there have been 234 cases of the disease reported to date in 2024.
The Department of Health and Aged care added in their response to SBS that mpox cases circulating in Australia to date are not related to the cases which emerged in September 2023 and have been spreading through the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries.
But said they continue to monitor local and global trends and respond with vaccine programs and other appropriate measures.
Other countries are also monitoring the spread of mpox in Central Africa, including the United States.
The State Department's deputy spokesperson, Vedant Patel, said the United States has provided more than 17 million dollars beyond their regularly programmed health assistance to support mpox preparedness and response efforts.
"We are tracking closely on the spread of mpox in Central Africa. We are pleased to see international leadership in this area. We've been collaborating with partners to build capacities to combat infectious diseases, including mpox but also HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and Ebola. And that line of effort has been continuing for more than 20 years."
Mr Kaseya, from Africa's disease control and prevention centre, added that the continent needs more than 10 million doses of the vaccine, but only about 200,000 are available.
He promised that Africa's disease prevention centre would work to quickly increase the supply to the continent.
Mpox has been endemic in parts of Africa for decades after it was first detected in humans in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970.
