The World Health Organization (WHO) has clarified that Mpox is not a new strain of coronavirus and should not be considered as such.
This was stated on Tuesday by Hans Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
According to him, no strain of the virus, neither the old Clade I and II nor the new Clade Ib strain, should be considered or treated as COVID-19.
“Mpox is not the ‘new COVID’, regardless of whether it is Mpox clade I, responsible for the current outbreak in Central and East Africa, or Mpox clade II, responsible for the 2022 outbreak that initially affected Europe, and has continued to circulate in Europe since then,” he said.
Mr Kluge called for a coordinated effort to curb the spread of the disease, noting that government authorities in affected countries know the best approach.
“We can and must tackle the Mpox problem together,” Hans said at the press conference.
“So will we choose to put systems in place to control and eliminate Mpox globally, or will we enter another cycle of panic and neglect? How we respond now and in the coming years will be a critical test for Europe and the world,” he added.
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Collaborative efforts
With the detection of the new clade I variant in Sweden, Mr Kluge urged countries in the European region to take the necessary measures to eliminate the transmission of all variants of the disease.
Last week, Sweden became the first country outside Africa to record a case of the Mpox clade I variant, clade Ib, which is at the centre of the latest outbreak and has been spreading from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to neighbouring countries.
There are two main types of Mpox: Clade I and Clade II.
Clade I is responsible for the current Mpox outbreak, while clade II caused the global outbreak, leading to a declaration of a global health emergency from July 2022 to May 2023.
The outbreak affected several non-endemic countries, with approximately 24 nations, mainly in Europe, reporting infections.
Most Mpox cases have been identified among young men who have had sexual contact with other men, representing a departure from conventional patterns of transmission.
In this regard, Mr. Kluge noted that the region has successfully managed to reduce the spread of the Mpox virus through direct engagement with the most affected communities of men who have sex with men.
He also said: “We have established robust surveillance, conducted extensive contact investigations of new cases and provided sound public health advice.
“Behavioral change, non-discriminatory public health measures and Mpox vaccination contributed to controlling the outbreak.
“Having learned from our success, we urge governments and health authorities to maintain these measures to help eliminate Mpox from Europe.
Mpox on the decline in Nigeria
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported a decline in the number of suspected and confirmed Mpox cases in the country over the past four weeks.
The latest data from the public health agency shows a significant drop from the 102 cases reported over the previous four weeks.
These cases were recorded in 26 local government areas in 18 states.
In addition, 51 new suspected cases were recorded.
The agency said two of the new suspected cases have been confirmed positive, with one case each reported in Ebonyi and Enugu states.
Difference between Mpox and COVID
Mpox is a viral infection that causes pus-filled lesions and flu-like symptoms. While Mpox and COVID-19 are both viral infections, they differ in their origins, symptoms, transmission, and public health implications.
Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is caused by the monkeypox virus. This virus belongs to the Orthopoxvirus genus, which is closely related to the virus that causes smallpox.
On the other hand, COVID-19 is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is a type of coronavirus, like the viruses that cause MERS and SARS.
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Mpox is spread through close contact with an infected person or animal, including direct contact with skin lesions, body fluids, and contaminated objects.
It can also spread through respiratory droplets, but this is less common.
Some symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, chills, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and sore throat.
The rash usually appears one to five days after the first symptoms. It usually starts on the face and then spreads to other parts of the body, including the genitals and anus.
COVID-19 spreads through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks.
It can also spread through airborne transmission, especially in closed spaces.
Symptoms of COVID-19 vary widely but typically include fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, and loss of taste or smell. Severe cases can lead to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and other complications.