Why in news
Mpox is declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by WHO for the second time due to its spread from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to multiple African countries.
The outbreak is now driven by Clade 1b, a more lethal variant of the mpox virus.
Clade 1b
Mpox is separated into two different clades: clade I and clade II.
The more virulent and deadlier clade I is endemic in the Congo Basin in central Africa.
Clade II is endemic in West Africa.
Clade I strains cause more severe illness and deaths, with mortality rates of around 3%.
But the mortality rate from strain clade 1b can be as high as 10% among children.
The clade 1b strain causes skin rashes across the whole body, unlike other strains where lesions and rashes are usually limited to the mouth, face and genitals.
It spreads effectively through both sexual and non-sexual contact
What is endemic means
A disease is considered endemic when it regularly occurs in a specific geographic area or population
Mpox is described as endemic in Africa, meaning it regularly occurs there despite occasional outbreaks.
When the cases begin to rise, it is classified as an epidemic.
If this epidemic has been recorded in several countries and areas, it is called a pandemic.
Some examples of endemics include chicken pox and malaria, where there are a predictable number of cases every year in certain parts of the world
COMMENTS