The WHO is considering the Mpox Monkeypox outbreak as an international emergency

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – The World Health Organization is considering publication epidemic Mpox or monkey trout as an international emergency following the widespread spread of Mpox in Africa due to a new, more dangerous variant. Indonesia has been asked to prepare a health system because several cases of Mpox have been found in the country.

A public health expert who is also the Postgraduate Director at YARSI University, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, in Jakarta, said on Tuesday (6/8/2024), that he must consider the possibility of an international public health emergency co- related to Mpox, strengthen Indonesia. control system.

“If there is any disease that becomes an international crisis, the main thing that needs to be done is not to close the borders, but to strengthen the control system within the country,” said Tjandra.

According to Tjandra, it was proven during Covid-19 that closing borders will not prevent the spread of this virus around the world. “Not to mention if countries A to F are closed, for example, how can we guarantee that in countries G to L, for example, there are no cases, it is impossible to close borders from the rest of the – world,” he said.

Tjandra said that checking the temperature of people at our airports is also ineffective. This is because it is possible that people who get the disease are still in the incubation period and therefore do not experience symptoms of an increase in temperature.

“Therefore, the main thing is to prepare the health system at home, although of course we are still alert to opportunities from abroad. “Moreover, we have had several cases of Mpox in the past in our country,” he said.

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A new version

Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday (5/8/2024) that he was considering an Emergency Committee meeting to find out if the Mpox disease has returned a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) or a public health emergency that concerns the world.

PHEIC status is the highest warning WHO can issue. Tedros, as WHO Director-General, can declare such an emergency on the advice of a committee of experts in the field.

“I am considering convening an international health management emergency committee to advise me on whether the Mpox outbreak should be declared a public health emergency of international concern,” he said.

If there is any disease that becomes an international crisis, the main thing that needs to be done is not to close the borders, but to strengthen the control system within the country.

This WHO observation was issued because there was another increase in cases in several African countries after the emergence of the more potent Mpox 1b subtype. Previously, Mpox was classified as PHEIC, but it was later revoked because it was under control. However, Mpox is now endemic again.

In a statement to the magazine ScienceTedros said the virus can and must be contained by intensive public health measures, including surveillance, community communication, treatment and vaccination, targeting those at high risk. from diseases.

Mpox was previously known as monkeypox. mpox is infectious diseases caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals. Mpox can also be transmitted from person to person through close physical contact.

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This disease was first discovered in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This infection causes fever, muscle aches, and large boil-like skin lesions.

Before that it was known that there were two subtypes of the virus, namely Clade 1 which is milder and more deadly which is endemic to the Congo Basin in Central Africa and Clade 2 which is endemic to West Africa.

In May 2022, Mpox infections increased worldwide, mostly affecting gay and bisexual men due to subclade 2b circulation. As a result of the outbreak WHO announced PHEIC, which will run from July 2022 to May 2023. The outbreak has now largely subsided. As of September 2023, another type of Mpox, subclade 1b, has emerged in the Congo.

On July 11, Tedros said more than 11,000 cases and 445 deaths had been reported in Congo this year, with children the most affected.

At the end of July, Burundi reported three cases and Kenya recorded one case. Then on Saturday (3/8/2024), Uganda announced the discovery of its first two cases, with indications that the disease occurred outside Congo.