Mpox declared a global health emergency: will it trigger another pandemic?

Mpox declared a global health emergency: will it trigger another pandemic?

Sub: Sci

Sec: Health

Context:

• WHO has declared the ongoing outbreaks of mpox in Congo and elsewhere in Africa to be a global emergency, requiring urgent action to curb the virus’ transmission.
• Sweden has since announced it had found the first case of a new form of mpox previously only seen in Africa in a traveller.

About Mpox:

• Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is spread primarily through close skin-to-skin contact with infected people or their soiled clothes or bedsheets.
• It often causes visible skin lesions.

Is mpox going to trigger another pandemic?

• Experts suggest that itshighly unlikely.
• Pandemics like COVID-19, are typically sparked by airborne viruses that spread quickly.
• Europe’s Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said that more imported cases of mpox from Africa were “highly likely,” but the chances of local outbreaks in Europe were very low.

How different is mpox from COVID-19?

• Mpox spreads very slowly unlike the coronavirus.
• There are vaccines and treatments available for mpox unlike in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

What is an Epidemic?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) an epidemic as an unexpected increase in the number of disease cases in a specific geographical area. Yellow fever, smallpox, measles, and polio are prime examples of epidemics. An epidemic disease doesn’t necessarily have to be contagious. West Nile fever and the rapid increase in obesity rates are also considered epidemics. Epidemics can refer to a disease or other specific health-related behavior (e.g., smoking) with rates that are clearly above the expected occurrence in a community or region.

What is a Pandemic?

The World Health Organization (WHOdeclares a pandemic when a disease’s growth is exponential. This means the growth rate skyrockets, and each day cases grow more than the day prior. In being declared a pandemic, the virus has nothing to do with virology, population immunity, or disease severity. It means a virus covers a wide area, affecting several countries and populations.

What does Endemic mean?

A disease outbreak is endemic when it is consistently present but limited to a particular region. This makes the disease spread and rates predictable. Malaria, for example, is considered endemic in certain countries and regions.