The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it would hold a meeting of the Emergency Committee next week to determine whether mpox virus (monkeypox) remains a global health emergency, according to a statement released by the organization on Monday.
In August, the disease, which continues to spread in Africa, was designated by the WHO as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the highest level of alert. This decision followed the spread of a new strain of the virus, clade Ib, in parts of the African continent.
Until early November this year, there have been 46,794 confirmed and suspected cases reported in Africa, including 1,081 deaths, according to a World Health Organization report released on Monday.
Mpox is a rare viral infection caused by the mpox virus. This virus is genetically similar to the smallpox virus but is less contagious and usually causes milder symptoms.
Human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with an infected person’s skin or bodily fluids, contaminated objects, or respiratory droplets during prolonged, close-range interaction.
Once someone is infected with the mpox virus, it typically takes between 6 and 13 days for symptoms to appear. These symptoms may include a fever, headache, back pain and muscle ache, fatigue, and skin rash, which initially appears on the head and face and then spreads to other parts of the body.
According to data from the World Health Organization about the mpox virus, the most affected country is the Democratic Republic of the Congo, followed by Burundi and Uganda.
