Partnership powers our work. As a 501c3 nonprofit, Healthcare Ready relies on funding from donations, grants, and sponsorships to make this crucial work possible. Contact us at contactus@healthcareready.org  or click below today to learn more about sponsoring a situation report or contributing to our Crisis Fund.

Mpox SPOTREP #1

August 20, 2024  /  TLP:GREEN

Healthcare Ready is MONITORING for this event. We are monitoring potential concerns for supply chain disruptions and impacts on healthcare services on our Alert Hub.

Contents

• Situation Overview and Key Updates
• Mpox Treatments

Situation Overview and Key Updates

• On August 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General declared the mpox outbreak, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other counties in Africa, a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).
  • There are outbreaks of two sub-clades of mpox – clade 1a and clade 1b. Both the clade I strains cause severe reactions and a higher percentage of death as opposed to clade 2 mpox infections.
  • A new strain of mpox (clade 1b) was first detected in September of 2023 and is spreading rapidly through sexual transmission among adults, through commercial sex and sex workers. However, it also seems to be spreading more easily through routine close contact and impacting households.
  • Since July, the clade 1b strain has been detected in four other countries (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda) that had not previously reported mpox cases.
  • There have been over 2,000 confirmed cases with over 500 deaths reported just this year. Suspected cases have increased to over 15,000 cases.
• On August 15, Sweden confirmed a case of the clade 1; being the first known infection of that specific strain outside of Africa.
• As of August 20, the WHO Regional Director for Europe has stated that this outbreak is not “the new COVID.” It will take the collaborative efforts and effective mitigation strategies across multiple countries and continents to curb the spread of mpox.
• The standing recommendations for mpox received a 12-month extension due to the PHEIC.
• CDC has stated that the risk of mpox spreading to the general public in the US is very low, due to the limited number of travelers and direct flights from the DRC or its neighboring counties. However, with cases emerging in Europe, the mpox outbreak should be closely monitored.
  • The WHO Secretariat’s risk assessment for DRC and neighboring countries was “high,” for Nigeria and other countries in Africa and around the world was “moderate.”

Mpox Treatments

• There are two vaccines currently recommended by WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization – JYNNEOS vaccine and the ACAM2000 vaccine.
• There are no current treatments specifically for mpox infections, however supportive care and pain control (ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen) can help patients recover without medical treatment.
  • Tecovirimat is the recommended therapeutic for the treatment of patients with mpox.
  • Brincidofovir, Vaccinia Immune Globulin, and Cidofovir are all additional therapeutics that can be administered as an alternative to tecovirimat.

FOLLOW US

Sign up to receive event-specific emails for your state or states where your organization operates

 For media inquiries please reach out to Alexis Wing at news@healthcareready.org.

Healthcare Ready leverages unique relationships with government, nonprofit and medical supply chains to build and enhance the resiliency of communities before, during and after disasters.  

Healthcare Ready is approved by the Internal Revenue Service as a 501 (C)(3) tax-exempt organization, and all donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. Healthcare Ready's Federal Identification Number (EIN) is 46-3134601.