After years of the mpox virus’ spread throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a public health emergency of international concern.
The declaration follows the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention stating that an increase in the spread of mpox – formally known as monkeypox – in the continent is a health emergency. It has since spread across borders, primarily countries neighbouring the DRC.
There have been more than 14,500 confirmed cases in the DRC and about 2,800 infected people, according to the latest data for 2024, and 517 people have died from the virus.
While the outbreak itself has been going on in the region for a decade, the clade of the virus that’s circulating in the DRC has made it more transmissible and fatal, especially for children under the age of 15, infectious disease specialist for the Brant Community Health Care System in Ontario Dr. Dale Kalina said.
Speaking to CTV News Channel on Wednesday, Kalina said that mpox’s recent spread could represent a global public health crisis.
In addition, Kalina said the DRC’s health-care system is “collapsed,” making it harder to put proper prevention and control measures in place.
“That’s how it escapes and that’s how it gets much worse,” he said.
The WHO previously declared mpox a global emergency in July 2022 when it spread to more than 70 countries.
The infection can be treated and prevented with the smallpox vaccine. However, Kalina said Canada needs to declare that it has “too many” smallpox vaccines, and begin supplying affected areas with the medicine.
“What we can do to help prevent that from getting worse is helping those areas with vaccines to help reduce that concern everywhere else around the world,” he said. “Canada has a lot of vaccines for smallpox – which is the same vaccine for mpox as well – and a number of the providers have also started the donation process to Central African countries.”
The virus is spread through physical contact with infected persons’ lesions, blisters, bodily fluids or respiratory droplets. It can also be spread through contaminated materials or from infected animals.
Symptoms include a fever, rash, chills and muscle aches, starting within 13-21 days after being exposed to the virus. Some more serious cases can include lesions developing on the face, hands, chest and genitals.
There have been no serious cases in Canada – including those with the serious clade of mpox found in the DRC – according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
CTVNews.ca wants to hear from Canadians who have questions, concerns or experiences with the mpox virus. What do you want to know about the virus? Are you concerned about it affecting yourself, or residents in your area? Should Canada be sharing smallpox vaccines abroad?
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