Mpox is a global health emergency. Here’s what an NC doctor wants you to know
The World Health Organization declared mpox a global health emergency Wednesday as a deadly strain of the virus continues to spread in Africa.
The declaration is the result of a surge in cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to WHO. So far this year, there have been 15,600 cases and 537 deaths reported in the country, already exceeding last year’s total.
On Thursday, Sweden confirmed its first case of mpox, making it the first case of this type reported outside of Africa, CNN reported.
Is mpox in the US?
There haven’t been any cases of the strain reported in the U.S. yet, but the virus has the ability to spread more rapidly than the strain reported in 2022, Dr. David Weber, an infectious disease specialist at UNC Health, told The Charlotte Observer.
Earlier this year, Wake County saw three cases of mpox, and in Charlotte, more than 20 people were exposed to mpox at an elementary school.
There have been 785 mpox cases reported in North Carolina since 2022, according to the most recent data available from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
How is this mpox outbreak different from 2022’s?
There are two types of mpox, clade I and clade II, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Clade II mpox was declared a public health emergency of international concern by WHO in July 2022, but the emergency was declared over in May 2023 after cases declined around the world.
However, clade I is currently circulating in the DRC and throughout much of central and eastern Africa, Weber said.
“Clade I is thought to be more virulent, that is more likely to cause serious disease than clade II,” Weber said, adding that fewer than 15 cases of clade II mpox are reported per day in the U.S.
Though the virus is circulating rapidly in Africa, the risk to the general public in the U.S. is “very low,” the CDC says.
“CDC has made this assessment due to the limited number of travelers and no direct commercial flights from DRC or its neighboring countries to the United States,” the CDC says. “The risk might change as more information becomes available, or if cases appear outside central and eastern Africa.”
Why was mpox renamed?
In November 2022, ”monkeypox” was renamed to “mpox” after “racist and stigmatizing language” used to describe the virus was widely reported online and in other settings, WHO said.
Opponents of the name “monkeypox” said the name of the virus fed many racist stereotypes about Black and African people, NPR reported.
The name change also eliminates confusion about where the virus originates from, NPR reported, since rodents — not monkeys — are the main source of the virus.
How does mpox spread?
Mpox can be transmitted in several different ways, Weber said.
“The most common way is direct contact, person-to-person and by skin,” said Weber, noting that many cases are the result of sexual contact. “The lesions are on the skin and rubbing up against each other transmits them.”
The virus can also spread from animals to people and through indirect contact, Weber said, meaning those who are in close proximity to someone who is infected could be at-risk of contracting the virus.
“If you’re lying on a sheet with those lesions, and someone taking out the laundry shakes the sheets, you can get transmission that way,” Weber said. “You can also get it by inhaling it, or by touching objects that people themselves have touched with mpox, because the virus does survive on surfaces for some period of time.”
What are the symptoms of mpox?
People with mpox can develop lesions on their skin that can transmit the virus, Weber said.
Rashes can occur on hands, feet, chest, face, mouth or near the genitals, according to the CDC.
The rashes can initially look like pimples or blisters and can be painful or itchy, and they typically go through many stages before healing, the CDC says. Other symptoms of mpox include:
Fever
Chills
Swollen lymph nodes
Exhaustion
Muscle aches and backache
Headache
Respiratory symptoms, such as sore throat, nasal congestion or cough
“Typically, mpox symptoms start within 21 days of exposure to the virus,” the CDC says. “If you have flu-like symptoms, you will likely develop a rash 1-4 days later.”
Who is most at-risk of contracting mpox?
Similar to clade II, Weber says the groups who are most at risk of contracting clade I mpox are:
- Men who have sex with men.
- Black people, due to lack of access to care and lower vaccine rates.
In North Carolina, 96% of all cases reported were in men, and 67% were reported in Black people, NCDHHS data shows. So far, 27,566 mpox vaccines have been administered in the state.
Other high-risk groups for contracting mpox, according to the Mecklenburg County Health Department, include people who:
Have had close contact in the past two weeks with someone who has been diagnosed with mpox.
Have had sexual contact in the past 90 days with individuals who have sex with men or transgender people.
Are living with HIV, taking medication to prevent HIV or were diagnosed with syphilis in the past 90 days.
Have had sex at a commercial venue or in association with a large public event in the past six months.
LGBTQ+ groups in North Carolina have spoken out about the stigma surrounding the illness. Mpox disproportionately affects men who have sex with men, but it can affect anyone who comes in contact with an infected person and not just through sexual intercourse.
Can you get mpox if you’re vaccinated?
There isn’t enough data to say for certain, but the JYNNEOS vaccine should be effective against clade I mpox, Weber said.
The vaccine can prevent illness or severe symptoms if given within two weeks of exposure, according to the Mecklenburg County Health Department.
The vaccine is currently being offered in nine counties in North Carolina, including in Mecklenburg, Wake and Durham, according to NCDHHS.
You can also visit npn.cdc.gov to find an mpox vaccine site near you.
How to protect yourself against mpox
The best protection against mpox is the JYNNEOS vaccine, according to the CDC.
People can also protect themselves by:
Avoiding close contact with people who are sick with signs and symptoms of mpox.
Avoiding contact with wild animals in areas where mpox regularly occurs.
Avoiding contact with contaminated materials used by people who are sick or that came into contact with wild animals.
Avoiding eating or preparing meat from wild animals or using products made from wild animals.
This story was originally published August 16, 2024 at 12:47 PM with the headline "Mpox is a global health emergency. Here’s what an NC doctor wants you to know."
