Experts are linking the outbreak across countries to a new strain of the virus and the waning of smallpox immunity in people
India, on September 10, confirmed its first case of Mpox, nearly a month after the multi-country outbreak of the disease was categorised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a ‘public health emergency of international concern’.
Mpox, though, is not new, and it doesn’t come from monkeys either. The first human case was identified way back in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The only reason it became associated with monkeys at all is because the disease was first identified in laboratory monkeys. “We still don’t know which animal host transmitted the virus to humans, but my guess is rats,” says Dr Tanu Singhal, an infectious diseases specialist at the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital in Mumbai.
So, why is an over five-decades-old viral disease suddenly grabbing the world’s attention? It is the origin of a new virus strain of Mpox, called Clade I Mpox, and its global community spread that is of concern. “This new variant transmits very easily and has slightly more severe symptoms. It is particularly dangerous to children and those with low immunity. Pregnant mothers can also pass the virus onto their newborns,” says Dr Singhal.
In this current outbreak, an estimated 64 per cent of the cases and 85 per cent of fatalities have occurred in children. One of the reasons this new strain seems to have emerged is the waning of smallpox immunity. The smallpox and Mpox viruses are close cousins, coming from the same family of viruses. Virologists say the smallpox vaccine would have kept Mpox outbreaks at bay. But since smallpox got eradicated and the routine vaccinations were stopped, Mpox outbreaks began to increase in numbers and severity. “However, it was happening in African countries, so global prioritisation was not there,” adds Dr Singhal.