Mpox has been documented in DR Congo for ten years. But recently, the number of cases has increased significantly, said the head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a press conference on Wednesday evening. – Last year, the number of cases increased significantly. And already this year, the number of reported cases has exceeded last year’s total, he said. He emphasized that the WHO has long been concerned about the situation. Last week, an emergency meeting was called. – Today the crisis committee met and advised me that they believe the disease is a public health crisis of international scope, said Tedros. Mpox causes a rash on the back. This boy was infected by the disease, but is now recovering. Photo: Arlette Bashizi / Reuters Spreading to new countries The announcement did not come as a surprise to everyone. – We have expected this to happen, says Preben Aavitsland, specialist director at the Institute of Public Health to news. The reason is the increase in infection and the spread to other countries. On Tuesday, the African Union’s infectious disease control agency, Africa CDC, declared a state of emergency as a result of the mpox outbreak. Subject director at FHI, Preben Aavitsland, does not fear that mpox will spread in Norway. Photo: Tor Erik Schrøder / NTB The DR Congo in Central Africa is particularly hard hit. According to the WHO, more than 14,000 cases and more than 500 deaths have been registered this year. Cases have also been registered in several neighboring countries. In Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, no cases have been registered previously. – It is primarily serious for the countries in Africa that are affected. They have a challenge trying to stop this outbreak. They need vaccines and support to carry out testing and infection tracking and information to the population, says Aavitsland. Individual cases According to FHI, it has not been registered that the disease has spread to Europe. – We are unlikely to notice any of this in Norway. In the worst case, there may be a single case or two that will be caught and taken care of, says FHI’s specialist director. It is particularly in the DR Congo that mpox spreads. He says that they will nevertheless go through the WHO recommendation and see if there are any further measures to be introduced in Norway. – The most important call to come is that the countries in Africa need support to get things under control, says Aavitsland. Also two years ago, the WHO declared that the outbreak of mpox was an international public health crisis, according to FHI. The declaration was revoked barely a year later after the number of cases decreased. Mpox, formerly called monkeypox, is an infectious viral disease related to smallpox. Common symptoms are fever, rash, headache, muscle pain and swollen lymph nodes. The disease is rare in Europe, and most people recover within a few weeks without treatment. Interested in foreign affairs? Listen to the foreign affairs editor’s podcast: Published 14.08.2024, at 19.49 Updated 14.08.2024, at 20.40
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