Europe Scrambles to Contain Outbreak of New, More Deadly Mpox Strain

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the source of a new and more lethal mpox strain, prompting Europe to act swiftly in containing its outbreak.

Sweden confirmed the first case of mpox Clade 1b outside its home continent on Thursday, followed by Pakistan’s announcement of one case on Friday.

Earlier this week, the spread of the new strain was declared as a public health emergency of international concern by The World Health Organization.

Professor Chloe Orkin, an expert in infectious diseases from the University of London, asserts that due to global travel patterns and its spread to nine nearby countries after originating in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2024, it is unavoidable for this new strain of mpox virus to reach the United Kingdom.

However, she clarifies that it may not necessarily have a significant spread throughout the United Kingdom.

She says that in the UK, we are capable of diagnosing and performing contact tracing as well as administering vaccination to those who have been exposed.

Close contact with an infected individual can transmit Mpox, resulting in fever, muscular pain and skin inflammations resembling boils.

According to experts, the novel variant is linked with a graver illness and greater fatality rates compared to the previous strain responsible for the worldwide mpox epidemic in 2022.

According to global health authorities, the inability to address this epidemic poses a threat not only to Africa but also to the entire globe.

To address the outbreak in Africa, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention predicts a minimum of 10 million doses of mpox vaccines will be necessary.

The impacted area has an exceedingly restricted supply.

According to Orkin, the announcement of a global public health emergency can be advantageous as it permits expedited authorization of vaccines in those nations.

According to her, although there were assurances of contributions from European and American stockpiles, they only amount to approximately 250,000 doses. This falls significantly short of the actual requirement which is in millions.

The vaccine manufacturer has announced that it will not be selling its drugs in Africa and plans to depend on donations for supply.

Currently, the majority of the 17,000+ reported cases in Africa are concentrated in DRC; however, it has not yet received any vaccine donations.