The World Health Organization spoke out on Tuesday about the Clade 1 variant of MPOX which is circulating in central Africa and affecting countries in Europe, Afghanistan, China and the Gaza Strip.
According to the WHO, the effects would be less virulent, even if the data is not yet official.
We don’t have that data yet. Studies are ongoing to understand the properties of this new strain. However, the available epidemiological data do not show that the Clade 1b variant is causing an increased number of severe cases or deaths, explained Dr. Margaret Harris, WHO spokesperson
Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox, but causes less severe symptoms, such as fever, chills and body aches according to the World Health Organization. In the DRC, the clade 1b variant discovered in mid-September in the east of the country is spreading in refugee camps according to UN agencies. In border countries, such as Rwanda, Burundi and Tanzania with a predominantly sexual transmission. Mpox is an infectious disease that can cause a painful rash, fever, headaches.
