Smallpox cases in the Congo region, where a new, more contagious variant was first detected, appear to have reached a “plateau,” the World Health Organization said on Monday, even as the virus continues to increase in other areas of the country, as well as in Burundi and Uganda. .
A report by the UN health agency said the number of viral smallpox cases “shows an overall upward trend” but may have plateaued in South Kivu, where a more contagious form of smallpox was first identified and is spreading earlier this year among workers in field of sex. And miners in the gold mining town of Kamituga.
The World Health Organization acknowledged that testing is still not widespread, making it difficult to understand exactly how the virus spreads.
According to data last week, Congo reported fewer than 100 laboratory-confirmed cases of smallpox, down from about 400 cases in July. In recent weeks, experts say that infection rates appear to have begun to stabilize, providing an opportunity for health authorities to completely eliminate the outbreak.
So far, about 50,000 people in Congo have been immunized against smallpox. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 3 million vaccines are needed to stop the outbreak.
Last week, the director of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Jean Cassia, said the continent was “still in the acute phase” of the smallpox epidemic, with 19 countries infected. He warned that without more resources, the virus could become a global threat.
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The World Health Organization said the outbreak in Burundi is also due to the newer strain, which causes less severe symptoms, meaning people with the infection may not realize they are spreading it. In the past two weeks, Burundi has reported more than 200 new cases of smallpox each week, mostly among children and young people.
In Uganda, which reported 100 new cases last week, the World Health Organization said the virus is spread mostly through sex, with the vast majority of cases among adults.
Smallpox—formerly known as monkeypox because it first appeared in research monkeys—spreads primarily through close skin-to-skin contact with infected people or their dirty clothing or bedsheets. It often causes visible skin lesions that may make people less likely to come into close contact with others.
In August, the World Health Organization declared the rapid spread of smallpox in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global health emergency. To date, Africa has reported more than 46,000 suspected cases, including 1,081 deaths.
The World Health Organization said it will hold a meeting of experts on November 22 to determine whether smallpox remains an international emergency.
Last week, Britain announced the first case of a more contagious type of smallpox spreading outside Africa. Smallpox was identified in a person who had recently traveled to Africa and in three of his household contacts. All individuals are currently being treated in two hospitals in London.
& Edition 2024 The Canadian Press
