This article was originally published in English
European health authorities have ruled out any new EU-wide measures against the new variant of the mpox virus, as the risk it poses to the general population is still considered “low”.
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There is no need to impose border controls to avoid the risk of MPOX, or to initiate bloc-wide vaccination against the virus, the European Commission’s Health Security Committee concluded today (19 August) following a meeting with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
A spokesperson for the European Commission told Euronews that the Health Security Committee (HSC) had agreed that for the time being, there was no need to update the advice on vaccination against the Mpox virus from 2022, “and that in the current state of affairs, it should not be considered a public health emergency in Europe either”.
“The CSS members agreed on the importance of a closely coordinated approach and the need to continue to monitor the situation very closely,” the spokesperson added after the meeting, which took place online and was also attended by representatives from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Africa Centres for Disease Control.
For the time being, vaccination recommendations are maintained for certain groups, but extension to the entire population is excluded for the moment.
The aim of the meeting was to discuss the evolution of the monkeypox situation in the European Union and the possible need for further joint measures, such as vaccination recommendations for the general population or border surveillance of travellers from high-risk areas, which were excluded after the meeting.
The meeting came after the WHO declared the mpox virus a global health emergency last week due to the outbreak spreading to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighbouring African countries.
Since the first human case was reported in 1970, The virus is now endemic in central and west African countries. This is theThis is the second time a global health emergency has been declared in relation to the virus, the first having occurred in 2022, after a global outbreak in countries that had not previously reported cases, such as Europe.
This time, the outbreak is caused by the subtype of the virus known as “clade I,” which is thought to cause more severe disease.
Following the latest reports, some countries are stepping up surveillance and launching information campaigns of the public.
Mónica García, Spain’s health minister, said in a message on X following the meeting that while it would not take any measures at the borders, the Spanish government would work with airport authorities and airlines to increase the information available to people travelling to Spain.
Last week, the CEPCM warned that it was “very likely” that Europe sees more imported cases smallpox due to the spread of the virus in many African countries. However, he said that the impact would be low in Europe and recommended “high levels of planning, preparedness and outreach activities” to deal with cases that reach the region.
This includes establishing effective surveillance, testing and contact tracing to detect smallpox cases in Europe.
The health agency warns that MPOX (monkey pox) is transmitted to humans through close contact with infected animals or people, or by touching material contaminated with the virus. The virus enters the body through lesions or wounds (often invisible) in the skin or mucous membranes. It can be transmitted from person to person during sexual contact and the risk of infection increases after sexual exposure.
Additional sources • adaptation: Serge Duchêne
