It is “highly likely” that Europe will see more imported cases of the mpox strain ripping through the Democratic Republic of the Congo and surrounding countries, its disease-fighting agency said Friday.
The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention urged doctors to be vigilant as it elevated its risk assessment.
It says the risk of infection is high for people who travel to affected areas, and there is a moderate risk for the close contact of infected persons who bring mpox into European nations.
“Due to the close links between Europe and Africa, we must be prepared for more imported clade I cases,” said Pamela Rendi-Wagner, the director of the ECDC.
The agency made its assessment one day after Sweden confirmed the first case of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, in a person who traveled to affected parts of Africa.
The strain, known as clade I, can be spread through close contact — often in cramped conditions or households — and differs from the clade II that caused a previous global outbreak and was mainly spread through sexual contact.
There are fears that clade I is associated with a higher mortality. African nations have reported over 500 deaths, most of them in the DRC.
The World Health Organization recently declared the mpox situation in Africa a public health emergency of international concern, meaning the disease could slip across borders.
The 2022 outbreak of mpox was controlled through vaccination and a public awareness campaign that urged changes in sexual behaviors.
Public health officials are treating the new mpox scare as one that can be contained.
The European agency said the risk of sustained transmission on the continent remains very low, “very low provided that imported cases are diagnosed quickly and control measures are implemented.”
Doctors should be looking for symptoms of the disease, test for mpox and trace where it might have come from, the agency said.
Officials also said people who plan to travel to affected areas in Africa should inquire about a vaccine against mpox.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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