BERLIN: A World Health Organisation official stressed on Tuesday that mpox, regardless of whether it is the new or old strain, is not the new Covid, as authorities know how to control its spread.

“We can and must tackle mpox together,” said Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, in a UN media briefing.

“So will we choose to put the systems in place to control and eliminate mpox globally? Or we will enter another cycle of panic and neglect? How we respond now and in the years to come will prove a critical test for Europe and the world,” he added.

Mpox, a viral infection that causes pus-filled lesions and flu-like symptoms, is usually mild but can kill. The clade 1b variety has caused global concern because it seems to spread more easily though routine close contact.

CEO says Bavarian Nordic could increase vaccine production

A case of the variant was confirmed last week in Sweden and linked to a growing outbreak in Africa, the first sign of its spread outside the continent. The WHO declared the recent outbreak of the disease a public health emergency of international concern after the new variant was identified.

Kluge said that the focus on the new clade 1 strain will also help in the fight against the less severe clade 2 variety that has spreading globally since 2022, allowing Europe to improve its response through better health advice and surveillance.

About 100 new cases of the clade 2 mpox strain are now being reported in the European region every month, added Kluge.

Mpox transmits through close physical contact, including sexual contact, but unlike previous global pandemics such as Covid-19 there is no evidence it spreads easily through the air.

Health authorities need to be on alert and flexible in case there are new, more transmissible clades or ones that change their transmission route, but there are no recommendations for people to wear masks, said WHO spokesperson Tarik Jasarevic.

Mpox vaccine

Danish biotech firm Bavarian Nordic’s CEO said on Tuesday the company could ramp up production of its mpox vaccine even before having orders lined up, based on the outcome of talks this week with WHO.

Chief Executive Officer Paul Chaplin said in an interview that the company urgently needs to make the call on whether to manufacture “at risk” — or without signed contracts — because diverting or switching manufacturing capacity from its other vaccines to mpox will take time.

In order to make that decision, Bavarian Nordic “would need to be reasonably convinced that those orders would be coming through”, Chaplin said. “We’ll have to wait and see how the discussions develop this week and we’ll make a decision later this week what we’re doing.”

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2024