Last Updated on 15/08/2024 by Arun jain
Ampox can be spread through close contact. It is usually mild and in rare cases fatal. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled sores on the body. Designating a disease as a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’ (PHEIC), WHO’s highest level of alert, can accelerate research, funding and international measures and cooperation to contain that disease.
Ampox also spread to neighboring countries of Congo
The outbreak in Congo began with a local variant known as Clade I. But a new variant, Clade IB, appears to spread ‘more easily’ through close contact, including sexual contact.
It has spread from Congo to neighboring countries including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, causing the WHO to now swing into action. “It is clear that international action is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.
17000 cases found in Africa in 2024
Earlier this week, Africa’s top public health body declared ampox an emergency for the continent after warning that the infection was spreading at an “alarming rate”.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said more than 17,000 suspected ampox cases and 517 deaths have been reported on the African continent so far this year, a 160 percent increase in cases compared to the same period last year. Cases have been reported in a total of 13 countries.
The virus had spread in 2022 as well
A variant of the ampoxvirus – clade IIB – spread worldwide in 2022, primarily through sexual contact between men who have sex with men. The WHO then declared a public health emergency that ended about 10 months later.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)