Dorcas Wangira, Africa Health correspondent, and Dominic Hughes, BBC’s Global Health correspondent, delve into the alarming rise of mpox cases across Africa and beyond. They discuss the recent surge with over 17,000 cases and the risks posed by a new strain. The conversation highlights the significant challenges in vaccine access, particularly in fragile healthcare systems and the stigma surrounding the disease. They also address treatment difficulties and the emotional impact on those infected, emphasizing the urgent need for global awareness and response.
Mpox has been declared a global health emergency due to its rapid spread in Africa and beyond, raising concerns among scientists.
Stigma surrounding mpox and misconceptions about its transmission routes hinder effective treatment and reporting, complicating public health responses.
Deep dives
Understanding MPOCs and Its Transmission
MPOCs, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral zoonotic disease that initially spreads from animals to humans, primarily characterized by symptoms such as fever, rash, and swollen lymph nodes. This disease's recent outbreaks have raised concerns among scientists due to its rapid transmission and occurrence outside Africa, prompting a classification as a global health emergency. The current strain has been observed to spread through close contact, including sexual contact and sharing contaminated items, with cases increasing significantly across multiple African countries that had not reported the disease before. As of this year, 12 of the 16 African countries that have reported MPOCs cases include those like Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, and Burundi, where the disease has emerged for the first time.
Public Health Emergency and Historical Context
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared MPOCs a global health emergency, a designation that signals the need for immediate resources and enhanced public health measures to combat its spread. This is the second such declaration for the virus in just two years, highlighting how quickly it can escalate into a worrying scenario reminiscent of initial COVID-19 warnings. Historically, MPOCs has expanded recently beyond its traditional confines, with an outbreak in 2022 leading to over 3,000 confirmed cases in the UK alone, demonstrating its capacity to spread quickly across different geographical regions. The WHO has had to mobilize resources and ensure increased testing, vaccination, and public health education to manage prior outbreaks effectively.
Stigma, Treatment Challenges, and Global Response
The stigma surrounding MPOCs, particularly regarding its transmission routes, negatively affects individuals seeking treatment and reporting their symptoms. This stigma is often associated with misconceptions linking the disease to shameful behaviors, leading to late presentations in healthcare settings, which exacerbates health outcomes. Furthermore, the lack of specific treatments and vaccines in regions like Africa complicates management, with vaccine availability being critically low compared to the population's needs. Despite increasing awareness, cultural factors and ongoing misinformation pose significant challenges in controlling the outbreak and educating the public about reducing transmission risks.
It has been declared a global health emergency twice in two years. Mpox – formerly known as Monkeypox – is spreading rapidly across Africa and has also been detected outside the continent. And scientists are worried about the speed at which a new strain is being transmitted.
On this episode, Lucy Hockings is joined by Dorcas Wangira our Africa Health correspondent and Dominic Hughes the BBC’s Global Health correspondent. They discuss what risk mpox poses to the wider global population and how worried we should be.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC journalists worldwide. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell #TheGlobalStory. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note via WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.
This episode was made by Alice Aylett Roberts and Laurie Kalus. The technical producers were Jeremy Morgan and Phil Bull. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Richard Fenton-Smith.
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