AREQUIPA, Peru – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on Friday called for vigilance in the face of the possible introduction into the Americas of a new variant of Mpox (as monkeypox is called) detected in Africa.
A report from the state agency Latin Press indicates that the call occurs when the clade I variant of the monkeypox virus (MPXV) circulates in the African region, which is associated with sustained transmission and the occurrence of cases in a wider age range, including minors.
From 2022 to July 1, 2024, 62,572 cases of monkeypox were reported in the Americas, including 141 deaths in 31 countries and territories.
Most of the reported cases were identified through patient care services with human immunodeficiency virussexual health services or primary and/or secondary health care centres, involving mainly, but not exclusively, men who have sex with men.
Genomic surveillance identified clade IIb in all cases analyzed, which remains the only one detected to date.
Globally, between January 1, 2024, and May 31, the highest number of reported monkeypox cases by World Health Organization (WHO) region was in Africa.
In this area, the Democratic Republic of the Congo concentrates more than 90% of the reported cases, while Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya reported cases of the new variant, and in Burundi analyses are being carried out to determine whether those registered are due to this.
The Mpox is a viral disease Caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the Orthopoxvirus genus, the common symptoms of which are a skin rash or lesions on the mucous membranes that can last from two to four weeks, fever, headaches, muscle and back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.
This virus can be transmitted through physical contact with someone who is sick, with contaminated materials or with infected animals.
According to the WHO, the treatment currently available only alleviates the symptoms, but various therapies are already being tested that could counteract the disease.
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