Mpox outbreak declared a global health emergency in Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Mpox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency after a new strain called Clade I has caused spikes in Africa.

Medical facilities in Uganda and Kenya that provide treatment to gay and bisexual men are collaborating to prevent the spread in the wake of an August 12 report that revealed nine out of every ten reported Mpox cases are men.

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The global Mpox outbreak report uses data that national authorities collected between January 2022 and June of this year, shows that 87,189 of the 90,410 reported cases (96 percent) were among men, with 19,102 of 22,802 cases being from sexual contact.

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Non-sexual person-to-person contact was the second most common mode of transmission, and genital rash was the most common symptom, followed by fever and systemic rash.

WHO says that 97 percent of new cases are from sexual contact through oral, vaginal, or anal sex with infected people. Most of these are concentrated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“Sexual transmission has been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo among sex workers and men who have sex with men,” the report reads. “Among cases exposed through sexual contact in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, some individuals present only with genital lesions, rather than the more typical extensive rash associated with the virus.”

More than 500 people have died from this Mpox surge, mostly in DRC. However, the Africa CDC says that they suspect Mpox cases across the continent have surged past 17,000, compared to 7,146 cases in 2022 and 14,957 cases last year, meaning the number of deaths may be much higher.

“Africa has long been on the frontlines in the fight against infectious diseases, often with limited resources,” said Africa CDC Director General Jean Kaseya. “The battle against Mpox demands a global response. We need your support, expertise, and solidarity. The world cannot afford to turn a blind eye to this crisis.”

“This is just the tip of the iceberg when we consider the many weaknesses in surveillance, laboratory testing, and contact tracing,” she said.

Clade 1 may mean danger for the world outside Africa due to its higher mortality rate and higher infection rate. Dr. Jennifer McQuiston, deputy director of the Division of High Consequence Pathogens and Pathology at the CDC, in an interview with The Advocate, said, “The Clade I variant has caused severe disease in a higher number of patients than we have seen in the past with Clade II.”

U.S. agencies are not monitoring it, but on Thursday a case surfaced in Sweden. There is a vaccine available, the Jynneos vaccine, which has been declared effective at preventing the spread of Mpox or significantly reducing the severity of infection, especially among high-risk groups. The vaccine is given in two injection doses.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has said no known cases of Clade I Mpox are in the U.S., and if cases are reported, the U.S. is well-prepared to detect and manage any potential cases.

“The risk to the general public in the United States from Clade I mpox circulating in the DRC is very low,” HHS said in a statement.

Even with the attempt between medical facilities that treat gay and bisexual men, the Uganda Minority Shelters Consortium said it was “nascent and uneven.”

“While some community-led health service providers such as Ark Wellness Clinic, Children of the Sun Clinic, Ice Breakers Uganda Clinic, and Happy Family Youth Clinic, have demonstrated commendable efforts, widespread collaboration on mpox prevention remains a significant gap,” UMSC Coordinator John Grace stated. “This is particularly evident when compared to the response to the previous Red Eyes outbreak within the LGBT community.”

There are no queer-friendly health service providers to offer Mpox vaccinations to men who have sex with men, and laws like Uganda’s  Anti-Homosexuality Act work as a large deterrent against people getting treatment.

HHS announced that $17 million has been allocated to strengthen Clade I Mpox preparedness and response areas like Congo. The funding supports improved surveillance, risk communication, community engagement, and providing critical laboratory supplies, diagnostics, and clinical services.

The U.S. is also donating 50,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine to Congo to support the ongoing vaccination campaign.

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