Earlier this week, World Health Organization (WHO) officials stressed that the MPOX virus is not a new COVID-19 because they know how to deal with its spread. However, the current epidemic is steadily growing, alarming medical experts. There are two different versions of the MPOX virus, one that caused a global pandemic in 2022-2023, and the other that has mutated into a new, more deadly strain.
So far, most cases of the deadly strain, known as lineage Ib, have occurred in Africa, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo. On Thursday, Thailand became the second country outside Africa to report a case of lineage 1b, following Sweden last week. According to the BBC, the infected 66-year-old European man lives in Thailand and arrived in Bangkok from an unnamed African country on August 14.
The WHO declared the disease a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on August 14. At least 14 African countries have reported cases, and with Congo reporting more than 1,000 cases in a week, African health officials are appealing for vaccination. (The variola and smallpox viruses are related, so the smallpox vaccine is effective against smallpox.)
Other recently confirmed cases in Spain, Taiwan, Pakistan and the Philippines have also been found to be lineage II. Both versions of the disease cause flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, but lineage Ib is generally considered to be much more deadly, killing one in 10 people during an outbreak, while lineage II has a survival rate of over 99.9%.
Nevertheless, current outbreaks of both strains continue to spread. Speaking to Salon about the outbreak earlier this month, World Health Organization (WHO) officials explained that while they are concerned, they are taking aggressive measures.
“The possible spread of the infection to other countries and regions is of great concern,” the WHO said. “The risk of further spread remains and WHO is working with countries in the region to strengthen preparedness, surveillance and cross-border coordination.”
A spokesman for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the public health agency was “closely monitoring” the situation in the US.
“Given how widespread lineage I outbreaks are in Central and East Africa, it is not surprising that occasional travelers are being diagnosed with the infection,” Dave Daigle said in a statement. “Rapid detection and containment of any MPOX cases is key to stopping the spread of MPOX.”
