Health Mpox cases down slightly worldwide in June

The viral infection Mpox (formerly monkeypox) continues to occur in all parts of the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of laboratory-confirmed reported cases fell slightly in June compared to the previous month, from 963 to 934.

However, because fewer people are being tested and not all cases are being reported, the WHO assumes that the number is probably higher.

The WHO is so concerned about a new sub-variant in Africa that it has convened an emergency committee. The independent experts represented on it are to discuss on Wednesday whether this is a "Public Health Emergency of International Concern" (PHEIC).

Such an emergency was declared in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as in 2022 due to the Mpox outbreak at the time. This has no immediate consequences, but is intended to alert governments and authorities around the world so that they can prepare for an increase in cases.

Lack of testing options

Mpox can cause skin rashes and fever, among other things, and can be life-threatening, especially for children. In June, 100 cases were reported from the WHO region of Europe, 175 from North, Central and South America and 567 from the African region. There, 96 percent of cases occurred in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Due to a lack of testing facilities, only a quarter of the suspected cases were tested in the country. Of these, two thirds were positive. "The number of confirmed cases is therefore an underestimate of the actual burden," says the WHO.

The WHO only has complete data up to the end of June. Since then, however, Mpox cases have been reported for the first time from four other countries in Africa that are not yet included in these statistics: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Most of those affected were in eastern Congo.

A total of 99,176 laboratory-confirmed cases from 116 countries have been reported to the WHO between January 1, 2022 and the end of June 2024. 208 infected people have died.

The WHO considers the risk of infection with clade I (Roman one) and II Mpox viruses to be high in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A new subline of Mpox clade I was discovered there at the end of last year. This may be more contagious than other lineages.