The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) issued an epidemiological alert on Thursday, urging countries in the Americas to strengthen surveillance following the identification of a new variant of mpox virus.
Clade I (Clade Ib) has appeared in the sub-Saharan African Region.
A PAHO release observed that while there are no reports of the new variant in the Americas, countries should remain alert to possible imported cases.
The new variant is associated with sustained transmission and cases in a wider range of age groups than during previous outbreaks, including children.
According to PAHO, it is estimated to have emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in September 2023 and is associated with a significant increase in cases in the country.
Mpox is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. Two different clades exist: clade I and clade II.
Symptoms include fever, intense headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, swollen lymph nodes, and skin rash or mucosal lesions.
From the beginning of 2024 to 26 July 2024, the Democratic Republic of Congo Ministry of Health reported 14,479 pox cases and 455 deaths.
Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya have also reported cases, while testing is underway in Burundi to determine whether reported cases are due to the new variant.
Due to the hike in cases, on 7 August, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that he would convene a panel of experts to advise him on whether the expanding outbreak constitutes a global health emergency.
On 23 July 2022, Tedros determined that the then multi-country outbreak of mpox constituted a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
However, The number of cases reported globally peaked in August 2022 and steadily declined until April 2023.
As a result, on 11 May 2023, following a significant reduction in global spread, the Director General determined that the event no longer constituted a PHEIC.
