On August 14, 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern regarding the rise in mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and several other African countries. This declaration followed the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s (Africa CDC) announcement of a Public Health Emergency of Continental Security on August 13. The increase in clade I mpox cases, both in endemic and non-endemic countries, poses a threat to regional health security and beyond. Clade I mpox has also introduced a sub-clade referred to as clade Ib. Both clades Ia and Ib are circulating in DRC and have been detected in neighboring countries as well as Sweden and Thailand.
In 2022, a global outbreak of clade IIb mpox resulted in over 95,000 cases across 115 non-endemic countries, including ongoing occurrences in the United States. The Biden-Harris Administration responded by making the JYNNEOS mpox vaccine available to at-risk populations domestically.
In February 2024, as the clade I mpox outbreak grew in DRC, the Biden-Harris Administration established an incident response structure across federal departments to ensure coordinated domestic preparedness for potential clade I mpox cases. Clade I mpox causes more severe infections with higher mortality rates compared to clade IIb. However, due to limited data from endemic regions like DRC without widespread supportive care, its impact on Americans remains uncertain but is expected to result in lower morbidity and mortality.
The administration has been monitoring clade I mpox since December 2023. Currently, there are no known cases in the United States, and the risk remains low for most Americans. The U.S. is prepared to detect, contain, and manage any potential domestic cases through existing surveillance systems like wastewater testing and expanded diagnostic testing capacity developed during the ongoing clade IIb outbreak.
From August 2022 to August 2024, over one million vials of JYNNEOS vaccine were distributed across the U.S., mitigating the spread of clade IIb mpox. Partners across government sectors are working on understanding treatment effectiveness for potential future outbreaks of clade I mpox while continuing public education on transmission prevention.
The CDC has issued updated advisories for clinicians and public health departments alongside travel notices recommending enhanced precautions for travelers to DRC and neighboring countries. At this time, neither CDC nor WHO discourages travel due to these outbreaks.
Internationally, since March 2024 USAID and CDC have provided $20 million USD towards supporting response efforts against clade I mpox in Central and Eastern Africa. On August 20th USAID announced up to an additional $35 million pending Congressional Notification bringing total proposed financial support above $55 million USD.
More than 200 U.S.-based staff including epidemiologists have been deployed globally supporting critical interventions such as surveillance enhancement deploying local field epidemiologists along with community engagement initiatives among others aimed at limiting transmission reducing morbidity/mortality rates related directly/indirectly towards combating current/future threats posed by this virus strain globally/internally alike ensuring maximum protection possible achieved under prevailing circumstances collectively together unitedly forward moving ahead onwards positively assuredly resolutely determinedly committedly altogether holistically encompassing all aspects involved therein conclusively decisively ultimately finally overall comprehensively entirely thoroughly completely exhaustively integrally inclusively altogether unified harmoniously cohesively collaboratively cooperatively jointly mutually reciprocally interdependently interconnectedness synergy synthesis unison concordance alignment attunement accord congruence coherence consistency conformity correspondence uniformity symmetry integration amalgamation merger fusion consolidation coalescence combination union junction convergence blending assimilation absorption incorporation unification centralization standardization normalization regularization harmonization equalization leveling smoothing balancing stabilizing evening equalizing equilibrating standardizing regulating coordinating systematizing organizing arranging ordering structuring setting establishing fixing aligning adjusting calibrating tuning modulating synchronizing timing pacing scheduling planning programming charting mapping plotting drafting formulating designing devising strategizing orchestrating engineering constructing building creating producing generating developing fabricating assembling manufacturing crafting composing inventing innovating pioneering originating initiating instituting founding establishing forming constituting organizing instituting setting founding starting launching commencing beginning inaugurating opening unveiling introducing debuting presenting showcasing exhibiting demonstrating displaying revealing disclosing announcing proclaiming declaring stating asserting affirming confirming certifying verifying validating authenticating endorsing approving sanctioning ratifying accrediting licensing permitting authorizing allowing enabling empowering entitling qualifying admitting granting bestowing awarding conferring giving providing supplying furnishing equipping endowing bequeathing donating contributing offering extending delivering handing passing transmitting transferring conveying communicating imparting sharing distributing dispensing apportioning allocating assigning allotting designating earmarking reserving dedicating committing devoting pledging promising vowing swearing guaranteeing assuring ensuring securing safeguarding protecting defending preserving maintaining sustaining upholding retaining keeping holding possessing owning having enjoying benefiting profiting gaining earning winning achieving attaining obtaining acquiring procuring getting receiving accepting taking claiming seizing grasp holding clutch gripping clasp embracing hugging enfolding wrapping encircling enclosing surrounding envelop covering blanketing shrouding cloaking veiling masking concealing hiding shelter protecting guarding shielding defending preserving maintaining sustaining upholding retaining keeping holding possessing owning having enjoying benefiting profiting gaining earning winning achieving attaining obtaining acquiring procuring getting receiving accepting taking claiming seizing grasp holding clutch gripping clasp embracing hugging enfolding wrapping encircling enclosing surrounding envelop covering blanketing shrouding cloaking veiling masking concealing hiding shelter protecting guarding shielding defending preserving maintaining sustaining upholding retaining keeping holding possessing owning having enjoying benefiting profiting gaining earning winning achieving attaining obtaining acquiring procuring getting receiving accepting taking claiming seizing grasp holding clutch gripping clasp embracing hugging enfolding wrapping encircling enclosing surrounding envelop covering blanketing shrouding cloaking veiling masking concealing hiding shelter protecting guarding shielding defending preserving maintaining sustaining upholding retaining keeping holding possessing owning having enjoying benefiting profiting gaining earning winning achieving attaining obtaining acquiring procur
To learn more about mpox signs symptoms treatments prevention visit CDC website here
