Mpox outbreak: WHO calls for increased surveillance, sharing of data, vaccines to curb transmission

WHO`s statement comes a day after Sweden confirmed the first case of a more contagious mpox variant outside Africa. Representative image. Pic/Istock

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday urged the countries affected by the Mpox (monkeypox) outbreak to work together to tackle the situation and called on all nations to address it. The development comes a day after Sweden confirmed the first case of a more contagious mpox variant outside Africa.

Ghebreyesus took to X and emphasised over the need for "enhanced surveillance, data sharing, and collaboration" to curb the transmission of the virus.

"Identification of the first #mpox clade 1b infection in Sweden underscores the need for affected countries to tackle the virus together," the WHO director-general wrote. We encourage all countries to enhance surveillance, share data, and work to better understand the transmission; share tools like vaccines; and apply lessons learned from prior public health emergencies of international concern in addressing the current outbreak," he added.

The Swedish government on Thursday confirmed the first case of mpox Clade I, a viral infection that spreads through close contact and is a more dangerous variant of the mpox disease outside Africa.

"We had confirmation that we have one case in Sweden of the more grave type of mpox, the one called Clade I," Health and Social Affairs Minister, Jakob Forssmed told a news conference on Thursday.

A day earlier, WHO had declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to other countries.

In the Indian sub-continent, Pakistan confirmed its first mpox case of 2024 after a man who recently returned from Saudi Arabia tested positive for the virus. The 34-year-old arrived in Peshawar on August 3 and developed symptoms shortly. On testing, he was found positive for the virus by the Khyber Medical University on Tuesday.

(With ANI inputs)