Science: At least two countries outside Africa have reported cases of ampox after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a “public health emergency” earlier this week. A relatively new strain of the virus, known as Clade 1, has been spreading in African countries since 2022. Earlier this year, it was reported that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was experiencing the largest outbreak of the disease ever recorded, with tens of thousands of people infected by June. The DRC’s government declared it an epidemic in December 2022. Last week, the Africa CDC reported that ampox has now been detected in at least 13 African countries. Compared to the same period last year, the agency said cases have increased by 160 percent and deaths have increased by 19 percent. So far we know about where the disease has spread, how it affects the human body and how to protect yourself from infection. In which other countries has the new strain of the Mpox virus spread? Pakistan’s National Health Services Ministry on Friday confirmed its first case of the virus, saying the person had arrived from Saudi Arabia. Sequencing is underway to ascertain the exact strain of the virus the person was infected with, health officials said. On Thursday, Swedish health officials reported the country’s first Mpox case, confirming it was the Clade 1 strain, and said the person had been infected in Africa and is now undergoing treatment. Clade 1 causes a greater number of severe infections and spreads more easily through regular close contact, including sexual contact. On Friday, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) raised its risk alert level from “low” to “moderate” and asked countries to maintain a high level of awareness among travellers arriving from affected areas.
