A senior World Health Organisation expert has said Mpox is “not the new Covid”.
WHO’s Europe regional director Dr Hans Kluge told journalists the reason for saying this was that authorities clearly knew how to control the spread of Mpox, despite real concern about a new variant of the virus.
According to the BBC, Kluge said strong action now − including ensuring vaccines reached the areas most in need − could stop another cycle of panic and neglect.
A case of the new variant, Clade Ib, was confirmed in Sweden last week and linked to a growing outbreak in Africa.
The BBC reports that Mpox has killed at least 450 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the former Zaire, in recent months, linked to Clade Ib.
[Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/niaid/52989473968]