Why is WHO concerned about the increase in cases of COPD in Africa?

A new strain of monkeypox, detected in several countries on the continent, has more severe symptoms and a higher mortality rate than previous strains.

For several weeks, cases of mpox, formerly called monkeypox, have been increasing on the African continent. A new strain of the virus, first identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and then reported in several neighboring countries, raises fears of a spread of this virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) emergency committee will meet “as soon as possible” to assess whether to declare the highest level of alert for the epidemic, announced Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, on Wednesday, August 7. on the social network X.

This qualification is the highest alert that the organization can trigger. Franceinfo explains why the WHO is considering this measure, and is concerned about the resurgence of cases in Africa.

A new, more dangerous strain has been detected

The monkeypox virus was first discovered in humans in 1970, in what is now the DRC. Over the years, several variants have been observed. Two years ago, a global epidemic, carried by the clade 2 subtype, spread to around a hundred countries where the disease was not endemic. Faced with this outbreak of cases, the WHO declared maximum alert in July 2022, then lifted it less than a year later, in May 2023. This epidemic outbreak affected around a hundred countries, with nearly 100,000 cases and 140 deaths recorded in total by the WHO between 2022 and the end of 2023.

Strain which the WHO is now monitoring, named clade 1b, was discovered in the DRC in September 2023. It is more deadly and more transmissible than the previous ones. This variant causes rashes all over the body, while previous strains were characterized by localized rashes and lesions on the mouth, face or genitals.

The WHO is all the more concerned that the mortality rate of this strain which can reach 5% in adults and 10% in children. Previous variants mainly affected homosexual and bisexual men. But this time, numerous cases of transmission during heterosexual or non-sexual contact have been recorded, particularly between mothers and children, or between children in schools. Many miscarriages have also been reported, and researchers are studying possible effects on fertility.

The epidemic is spreading fast

“Since the beginning of the year, the DRC has been experiencing a serious epidemic of mpox, with more than 14 000 reported cases and 511 deaths”announced Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday, August 7. He added that “The number of cases reported in the first six months of this year is equal to that of the whole of last year, and the virus has spread to provinces that were not affected before.”

“The disease has been recorded in the displaced persons camps around Goma, in the north-east of the DRC, where the extreme density of the population makes the situation very critical. The risks of an explosion are real given the enormous population movements” in this conflict region, which borders several countries, the medical coordinator of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the DRC, Louis Albert Massing, told AFP. Goma also has an international airport, which increases the risk of transmission of MPOX to other countries.

In two weeks, the virus has spread abroad.Cases have been observed in Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya and Ivory Coast. This spread is all the more worrying as these countries “do not have this disease in an endemic way, (…) this means that it is an extension of the epidemic which is raging in the DRC and in Central Africa in general”explains to AFP Rosamund Lewis, head of the response to the virus at the WHO.

There is no treatment for the disease.

The patient infected with monkeypox suffers from fever, severe headache, muscle pain, characteristic inflammation of the lymph nodes, back pain and great fatigue. According to the WHO, there is no specific treatment for this infection. The symptoms disappear spontaneously.

Two specific vaccines are recommended, but few doses are available. Young vaccinated patients have less severe symptoms, but Smallpox injection campaigns ended in 1980, after the disease was eradicated. “Therefore, at present, people under the age of 40-50 (depending on the country) may be more susceptible to monkeypox”specifies the WHO. Furthermore, we do not yet know precisely how effective these vaccines are against the new strain of the virus.

WHO needs funding to stem outbreak

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that he was concerned about the possibility “of a new international spread inside and outside Africa“. “Given the spread of mpox outside the DRC”, “I have decided to convene an emergency committee (…) to advise me on whether the outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.”the organization’s director general said Wednesday. “The committee will meet as soon as possible”he added, specifying that he hopes that the two available vaccines can be included on the WHO list of safe emergency tools, in order to speed up their distribution.

The organization is working with governments of affected countries and other partners to understand and address the drivers of these outbreaks. “Stopping transmission will require a global response”assured Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, stressing that the WHO advises to “not to impose restrictions on travel to affected countries.”

The institution also developed a regional action plan that requires $15 million to support disease surveillance, preparedness and response activities. “Financial support is needed in the face of MPOX. We need to scale up the response to deal with an epidemic in several countries, particularly with regard to clade 1b”said Maria Van Kerkhove, head of epidemic and pandemic preparedness at the WHO. For its part, the United States announced on Wednesday aid of 10 million dollars for the DRC, intended to “health care” to respond to the current epidemic.