The European Union’s health agency urged member states on Friday to prepare for further cases of the highly deadly MPOX virus, a day after the first case outside Africa was reported in Sweden.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said the risk level remained “low” but that it “recommends EU/EEA public health authorities maintain a high level of preparedness planning and awareness-raising activities to enable rapid detection and response.”
Further increases in infections expected in Europe
The ECDC raised its risk assessment for mpox clade I strains to moderate on Friday.
The Stockholm-based agency said it was “highly likely” that more cases would emerge in Europe.
“Given the close connections between Europe and Africa, we need to be prepared for an increase in imported lineage I cases,” ECDC director Pamela Rendy-Wagner said in a statement.
New offshoots of this strain have emerged outside the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the strain is endemic, causing concern.
The World Health Organization this week declared the spread of the new variant a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the severest warning the agency can issue.
Mpox: WHO Director-General declares public health emergency
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What is mpox?
Mpox is a viral infection that causes flu-like symptoms and skin bumps. In some cases, it can be fatal. At least 548 people have died from the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year.
The virus is zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans, but it can also be transmitted from person to person through close physical contact.
“The overall risk to the general EU/EEA population is currently assessed as low given the very low likelihood of outbreak and low impact,” the ECDC said, but warned there was an increased risk to people visiting affected areas.
The agency advised authorities to focus on quickly detecting cases that could be imported into Europe.
Ms Lendi-Wagner advised EU health agencies to “test, test and test to detect suspect cases as early as possible in Europe and prevent further spread”.
Virologist explains why WHO sounded the alarm about MPOX virus
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ab/nm (Reuters, AFP)
