A surge in monkeypox cases last year in Europe and the United States prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a public health emergency of international concern, its highest level of alert, in July 2022. The WHO lifted the status in May this year but warned people to remain vigilant.
According to WHO, the global monkeypox outbreak has mainly involved men who have sex with men and those with multiple sexual partners.
Initial symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, and backache for five days. A rash appears on the face, palms, and soles of the feet, followed by painful lesions, blotches, and finally scabbing.
Patients usually recover on their own after 2-4 weeks. The disease is most severe in children, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems.
The disease is currently spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In its latest global press release on monkeypox, WHO highlighted that the number of suspected cases (diagnosed clinically due to insufficient testing) in Congo reached 12,569, including 581 deaths, as of November 12.
This is the highest number of annual cases ever reported, spread across 22 provinces of Congo, including areas that previously did not report the disease such as Kinshasa, Lualaba and South Kivu.
Also according to the WHO's announcement on the evening of November 25, for the first time, transmission of MPXV (monkey pox virus) clade 1 was recorded, including many cases related to sexual contact.
MPXV clade I is endemic in the Congo, is capable of causing severe disease and high mortality, and is primarily transmitted from animals to humans. WHO does not yet understand the transmission dynamics of MPXV clade I in the Congo, and is concerned about a new MPXV variant.
Minh Hoa (reported by Vietnam+, Nguoi Lao Dong)
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