Mpox global health emergency: Symptoms, how virus spreads, prevention, all you need to know

The World Health Organisation has declared that an outbreak of mpox, a viral infection that spreads through close contact, represents a global health emergency for the second time in two years.

As more cases are now being discovered outside of Africa, where the outbreak occurred, global concern is rising because it seems to spread more easily though routine close contact.

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Sweden said on Thursday it had confirmed a first case of mpox, a viral infection that spreads through close contact. Pakistan's health ministry confirmed on Friday at least one case of the mpox virus in a patient who had returned from a Gulf country, as provincial health authorities reported they had detected three cases.

Here is everything you need to know about the contagious disease:

Symptoms of mpox

Symptoms of the disease usually begin within a week of exposure, however, they can also start start 1–21 days later, WHO has said.

The authority added that symptoms last 2–4 weeks but may last longer in someone with a weakened immune system.

Here are some common symptoms:

Transmission

Mpox can be transmitted among people through direct contact with infectious skin or lesions. This includes talking, breathing, touching and intimacy. Respiratory droplets or short-range aerosols from close contact can also transmit the disease.

It can also be contracted from contaminated objects such as clothing or linens, through sharps injuries in health care, or in community setting such as tattoo parlours.

Prevention

Mpox infection can be prevented by receiving a vaccine. The vaccine should be given within 4 days of contact with someone who has mpox (or within up to 14 days if there are no symptoms).

During an outbreak, those at higher risk of contracting the disease, such as healthcare workers, are recommended to get vaccinated first, the WHO says.

Treatment

The WHO has said that while studies are

Several antivirals, such as tecovirimat, originally developed to treat smallpox have been used to treat mpox and further studies are underway. Further information is available on mpox vaccination and case management.

Here is more on the impact of mpox:

What is a public health emergency?

A "public health emergency of international concern" or PHEIC is WHO's highest form of alert. It is announced when diseases are spreading in new or unusual ways, and is aimed at galvanising international co-operation and funding to tackle an outbreak. WHO's declaration follows a similar label from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week.

Why is mpox an emergency again?

Two years ago, WHO declared mpox was an emergency when a form of the disease began to spread globally, largely among men who have sex with men. That outbreak was brought under control after behaviour change and safe sex practices, plus vaccines, helped people at risk protect themselves in many countries.

But mpox has been a public health problem in parts of Africa for decades. The first ever human case was in Congo in 1970, and it has had outbreaks ever since.

• Mpox virus detected in Pakistan, health authorities say