Why mpox is a global health emergency — again

For the second time, the World Health Organization has declared that mpox, formerly called monkeypox, is a global health emergency.

In 2022, global spread of the virus, which causes rashes, fevers, muscle aches and other symptoms, led to the first emergency declaration (SN: 7/22/22). That version of the virus, called clade II, is still causing a small number of cases around the world, including in the United States.

Even as clade II cases declined globally, infections with clade I mpox shot up in Congo. Nevertheless, the first mpox emergency ended in 2023. The sometimes deadly clade I virus has now spread to previously unaffected countries in Africa and reported cases have surged beyond levels seen in 2022 or 2023. Children have been particularly hard hit.

administrator

Related Articles