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Editorials

Mpox needs a locally tailored global response

BMJ 2024; 386 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.q2094 (Published 27 September 2024) Cite this as: BMJ 2024;386:q2094
  1. Yap Boum II, public health expert,1,
  2. Nicaise Ndembi, Africa mpox deputy incident manager2
  1. 1Institut Pasteur de Bangui, Central African Republic
  2. 2Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  3. Correspondence to: Y Boum yap.boum2@pasteur-bangui.cf

Action to manage outbreaks must reflect diversity of disease

Mpox has spread rapidly across continents, igniting fear and uncertainty. Since 2022, 52 329 cases have been recorded (of which 9335 are confirmed), and 1798 deaths.1 The disease has shown potential for sexual transmission, particularly among men who have sex with men,2 but more recently has spread in other populations, including in children.3

The declarations by Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC)4 of a public health emergency of continental security, and by the World Health Organization (WHO) of a public health emergency of international concern,5 may be intended to galvanise a global response, but the crisis is far from being under control.6 As WHO adds the first vaccine against mpox (MVA-BN) to its prequalification list,7 the global response must take into account the unique epidemiological and clinical characteristics8 of the various concurrent outbreaks caused by different viral clades (Ia, Ib, IIa, and IIb).

Viral and clinical diversity

Essentially, three epidemics of mpox are occurring at the same time, and …

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