Mpox Concerns Return With Outbreak in the Congo and Rising Cases in the U.S.
[ad_1]
In the summer of 2022, both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) declared the spread of mpox (formerly called monkeypox) to be a public health emergency as the outbreak became the largest in the disease’s history, with cases soaring in more than 100 countries.
After the distribution of vaccines and treatments, coupled with a growing awareness of the disease, infections dropped to such a low level that both health organizations ended their emergency declarations by the first half of 2023.
Since that time, WHO and CDC officials have maintained that a threat of a resurgence was still a possibility. That concern may be well founded, as a very infectious subtype of the mpox virus has now rapidly spread in the Congo, reigniting fears that mpox could once again grow into a global outbreak.
Last week, the CDC issued an official health advisory as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported more than 12,000 suspected mpox cases and nearly 600 deaths since the beginning of the year. That number is about 300 percent more than the median number of annual suspected mpox cases reported between 2016 and 2021.
What Is the Difference Between Clade I and Clade II Mpox?
The variant of mpox fueling the latest outbreak, called Clade I, is more transmissible and deadlier than Clade II, which was responsible for mpox illnesses worldwide last year.
Clade I has historically been associated with person-to-person spread through nonsexual contact, whereas Clade II is primarily linked to sexual transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM).
RELATED: 10 Misconceptions About Mpox You Shouldn’t Believe
Now, however, scientists are noting for the first time that Clade I is also being transmitted by sexual contact — especially among MSM and those who have multiple sexual partners.
“It’s important to know, however, that anybody, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, who has been in close personal contact with an individual with mpox is at risk,” says Steve Schweon, RN, MPH, a member of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology’s Emerging Infectious Diseases Task Force.
No Sign That Congo Outbreak Is Spreading Outside of Africa
A risk evaluation released by the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control found no evidence that Clade I mpox is circulating outside central African countries, and that the likelihood of infection in MSM is low, as “immunity in this population due to prior infection with MPXV [mpox virus] Clade II and/or vaccination in 2022–23 will probably decrease both the likelihood and the impact of such an infection.”
The latest testing from mpox cases in the United States has detected no Clade I infections, and the CDC currently assesses the threat of Clade I as low for travelers. Still, the agency urges clade-specific testing for people who have visited the Congo and are presenting with mpox symptoms, such as:
- Fever
- Muscle aches
- Swollen lymph nodes
- A rash that can look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth, and on other parts of the body, like the hands, feet, chest, genitals, or anus
Vaccines such as Jynneos and treatments for mpox are expected to be effective for both Clade I and Clade II infections.
Mpox Cases Are Inching Up in the U.S.
Although Clade I has not yet been identified in the U.S., local health authorities in pockets around the country have been reporting an uptick in mpox cases. Nashville held an mpox vaccination event last week as cases there have risen, and the Rhode Island Department of Health has issued an alert as new mpox cases were recently reported in the state for the first time in several months.
“There has certainly been an increase in cases within the past two to three months in various sites around the U.S., including Seattle, Atlanta, New York City, and California,” says Chase Cannon, MD, MPH, the medical director of the Seattle-King County Sexual Health Clinic and an assistant professor in the division of allergy and infectious diseases at the University of Washington.
“Many of these cases are among people who have not been fully vaccinated, and fewer are happening in people who have received both doses,” he says. “At least locally, we have seen some association with group sex events, so we are reminding people that mpox hasn’t gone away and that everyone should get fully vaccinated. Thankfully, current case numbers are nowhere near what they were at the height of the 2022 epidemic.”
Experts Still Advise Mpox Vaccination for Eligible Groups
Of those eligible to receive the mpox vaccine, only about 1 in 4 have received the complete two-dose vaccination, according to the CDC.
“People don’t need to be worried at this point, but they should be on alert and encourage friends, partners, etc., to get fully vaccinated if they’re not already,” says Dr. Cannon.
[ad_2]
