India has reported 27 laboratory-confirmed cases of Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) (1✔ ✔Reliable source
Mpox (monkeypox)
) and one death between January 2022 and June 2024, according to the latest update from the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO’s 35th situation report on the Mpox outbreak in multiple countries showed that by June 2024 (the latest comprehensive monthly disease surveillance data available), a total of 934 new laboratory-confirmed mpox cases and four deaths were reported in 26 countries. “This illustrates the continued transmission of Mpox worldwide,” the global health body said.
Africa remains the epicentre of the global monkeypox outbreak
According to the report, the African region, with 567 cases, is the most affected between January 2022 and June 2024. It is followed by the Americas (175 cases), the European region (100 cases), the Western Pacific region (81 cases) and the South-East Asia region (11 cases). The Eastern Mediterranean region reported no cases in June 2024, WHO said.
In the South-East Asia region, Thailand reported the highest number of confirmed cases (805), followed by Indonesia (88), India (27), Sri Lanka (4) and Nepal (1). Thailand also reported the highest number of Mpox deaths (10) in the region, followed by India (1). “As country reporting to WHO has been declining, currently reported global data are likely to underestimate the true number of Mpox cases,” WHO said, stressing the importance of surveillance.
The report notes that four new countries in East Africa – Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda – have reported their first cases of Mpox. Clade I is responsible for the rise in infections in these countries, according to the UN health agency. Meanwhile, Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa) is experiencing an outbreak of Mpox linked to clade II MPXV, while South Africa has reported two more confirmed cases, it adds.
Mpox is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in the rainforest areas of central and western Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions. It was first identified in monkeys in research laboratories in the 1950s and it was not until 1970 that the first human case was discovered.
Meanwhile, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is expected to soon convene an emergency committee under the International Health Regulations (IHR) to decide “whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).” The PHEIC is the WHO’s highest public health alert. Since 2009, it has been declared seven times for H1N1 swine flu, poliovirus, Ebola, Zika virus, Ebola again, Covid-19 and MPOX.
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Reference:
- Mpox (monkeypox) – (https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/monkeypox)
Source-IANS
