Highest WHO alert level This is how dangerous the new Mpox variant is for Switzerland

The WHO is sounding the alarm: Mpox outbreaks in Africa are threatening public health worldwide. Health experts are particularly concerned about a new variant of the virus. What does this mean for Switzerland?

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the highest alert level due to the spread of the Mpox virus in Africa. The WHO's Emergency Committee has advised that it considers the situation to be a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" (PHEIC). The highest alert level was thus activated.

What are the consequences? What is the situation in Switzerland? Answers to the most important questions.

Mpox used to be called monkeypox because it was first detected in monkeys by chance. In general, however, the WHO does not want to name diseases after animals or countries in which they are discovered in order to prevent discrimination. The Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) is also implementing the name change.

Worrying variantWHO declares global emergency due to Mpox virus

Mpox is caused by a virus that occurs in wild animals and occasionally jumps to humans, who in turn can pass it on to other people. The virus is related to the classic smallpox virus (variola virus).

Mpox came to the attention of the world as a result of a global outbreak in 2022. The disease, which has been endemic in some parts of Central and West Africa for decades, spread to more than 100 countries. The death rate during the outbreak was less than one percent.

Before 2022, the disease had mainly occurred in sporadic outbreaks in Central and West Africa when people came into close contact with infected wild animals.

The Mpox virus mainly causes a skin rash, but also fever and muscle pain. It can be fatal, especially for children.

"Mpox is not easily transmitted," says virus researcher Marion Koopmans from Erasmus University Rotterdam. "It is spread through direct contact and is therefore - theoretically - relatively easy to stop if it is diagnosed and recognized." The Ib variant spreads through sexual contact, among other things.

Worldwide, more than 14,000 suspected cases and more than 500 deaths have already been reported this year from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries - more than in the whole of last year. Experts say that this may only be the tip of the iceberg because not enough testing is being done and not all infected people are seeing doctors.

The risk of infection in Switzerland is very low, according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) in response to an inquiry from the Keystone-SDA news agency. The majority of people at risk in Switzerland have been vaccinated. People at risk include men who have sex with men and trans people with frequently changing sexual partners.

According to the FOPH, there is also sufficient vaccine available in Switzerland and the number of cases is stable. There were numerous Mpox infections in Switzerland for the first time in summer 2022. Since fall 2022, cases have only been reported sporadically.

According to the WHO, 579 Mpox cases had been reported in Switzerland by the end of June. The last report dates back to February 2024.

Several Mpox outbreaks in Africa are threatening public health worldwide. The WHO is particularly concerned about a new variant that was discovered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the end of 2023. It is a sublineage of Mpox clade I (Roman one). It is referred to as Ib.

In contrast to previous outbreaks, in which lesions occurred mainly on the chest, hands and feet, the new form causes milder symptoms and lesions on the genitals. This makes it more difficult to detect, which means that people may be infectious without knowing it.

According to local experts, it is likely to be more contagious than previous variants and cause a more severe infection, said Dimie Ogoina, a Nigerian infectious disease specialist at the Niger Delta University. Scientists report that up to 10 percent of those infected could die from the new form of Mpox.

The emergency declaration has no concrete consequences. According to the FOPH, no new vaccination calls or other measures are planned in Switzerland either. Rather, the emergency is intended to alert authorities around the world so that they can prepare for possible outbreaks.

However, it shows that the WHO sees the risk of Mpox spreading internationally again after 2022 and becoming a health risk in several countries.

Yes, there are two vaccines. The vaccine against the smallpox virus also protects against infection with the Mpox virus. However, there are nowhere near enough doses, especially in Africa.

Tim Nguyen from the WHO said that 500,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine are available for purchase. A further 2.4 million could be produced by the end of the year if there are firm orders.

The WHO appealed to donor countries to provide money for this. It also asked countries with stocks to hand over vaccine doses. The second vaccine LC16 is being produced in Japan, but not commercially, said Nguyen. However, Japan is always very generous with donations.

The WHO had already declared an emergency due to Mpox in July 2022. At that time, cases of the disease, which until then had practically only been known in Africa, were suddenly reported from more than 60 countries, including Switzerland. The infections fell back to clade II, which causes less severe courses of the disease.

In May 2023, the WHO lifted the emergency because the incidence of infection had been brought under control in most countries.