At least two countries outside Africa have reported cases of MPOX since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the virus a “public health emergency” earlier this week.
A relatively new strain of the virus, known as clade 1, has been spreading in African countries since 2022.
Earlier this year, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) experienced its largest outbreak on record, with tens of thousands of people reportedly infected as of June. The DRC government has declared an outbreak in December 2022.
Last week, the Africa CDC reported that MPOX had been detected in at least 13 African countries. It said the number of cases had increased 160 percent and the number of deaths had increased 19 percent compared to the same period last year.
Here's what we know so far about where the disease is spreading, how it affects the human body, and how to protect yourself from infection.
Has the new type of MPOX virus spread to any other countries?
Pakistan's health ministry confirmed the country's first case of the virus on Friday, saying the infected person came from Saudi Arabia.
Health officials said genetic analysis was being carried out to identify the exact strain of the virus that infected the infected person.
Swedish health authorities reported the country's first case of MPOX on Thursday, confirming that it was the lineage 1 strain and saying the patient was infected in Africa and was currently receiving treatment.
Lineage 1 tends to cause more severe infections and appears to spread more easily through everyday close contact, including sexual contact.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) on Friday raised its risk alert level from “low” to “medium” and urged countries to maintain a high level of caution for travellers arriving from affected areas.
How do viruses attack the human body?
Mpox primarily infects humans and animals. It belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox, but causes milder symptoms such as fever, chills, and body aches. However, it can also cause severe illness and in some cases, death.
The virus enters the body through a break in the skin or the respiratory tract and spreads through the blood, causing flu-like symptoms and skin lesions.
According to Michael Marks of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, scientists “do not believe that MPOX has a direct effect on the immune system”.
“Aside from the fact that all infections obviously cause a temporary response in the immune system, we don't believe MPOX has any long-term effects on the immune system,” he said.
Dr Ngasi Ngongo, chief of staff at the Africa CDC, also told Al Jazeera that the virus only causes symptoms for “two to four weeks”.
“It's a disease. If it gets severe it can be fatal, but you'll recover in two to four weeks. Everything will go back to normal,” he said.
How does the virus spread?
The virus spreads through close contact with infected people or animals. In person-to-person transmission, the virus can be transmitted through contact with skin lesions, skin-to-skin contact, or by talking or breathing too closely with an infected person.
The virus can also enter the body through broken skin, the respiratory tract, eyes, nose or mouth, and spread through contaminated objects such as surfaces, bedding, clothing and towels.
Marks told Al Jazeera that the most important form of transmission is through skin-to-skin contact, with the virus being detectable in skin breaks for “around three weeks”, and not through the respiratory system because “for most people, the virus is cleared from the throat within seven to 10 days”.
In human-to-animal transmission, the virus usually enters the body through a bite, scratch, or contact with a wound from an infected animal.
What are the symptoms?
The disease causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions and is usually mild but can be severe enough to be fatal.
Marks explained that most people will experience a “relatively mild illness,” with fever, muscle aches, a rash and potentially “between five and 25 lesions.”
“Some people become even more ill and develop severe disease with hundreds of lesions appearing all over their body,” he said.
What variables could lead to more severe symptoms?
Marks explained that while the disease causes only mild symptoms for most people, some people are at higher risk of experiencing severe symptoms.
“For example, people with untreated HIV (sexually transmitted diseases) and people with weakened immune systems are at even higher risk of severe illness. Children also appear to be at higher risk of severe illness,” he said.
He explained that children are more susceptible to the effects of MPOX than adults for “several reasons.”
“Most infections are occurring in densely populated areas with a lot of children, who spread the virus because they are more likely to run around and have direct skin-to-skin contact with others, whereas adults have less direct contact with others,” he said.
Ngongo added that children are also at higher risk because their “defence mechanism”, their immune system, is still developing.
What treatments are available for this type of MPOX?
Marks said there is currently no cure for MPOX, but several antiviral drugs are being tested.
“But effective vaccinations exist to reduce the risk. The priority is to provide sufficient vaccines to those most at risk in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighbouring countries,” he said.
“If we can vaccinate at-risk individuals, they will be protected from infection and we will help control the epidemic – so it benefits both the vaccinated individuals and the wider population,” he added.
Ngongo explained that the MPOX vaccine, which was used in many Western countries during the 2022 outbreak, is not available in poor African countries.
“Africa has no vaccines. The remaining vaccines are being stockpiled as part of Western emergency plans. But here we are in an emergency,” he said.
Ngongo explained that through donations, Africa CDC had been able to acquire 280,000 doses of the vaccine, but because the vaccine requires two doses to be effective, that number will be reduced to 140,000.
How can I protect myself?
Ngongo urged people to “go back to the basics of personal hygiene” by remembering to wash their hands, avoiding contact with sick people and going to hospital if they are experiencing symptoms to help contain the virus.
The Mpox vaccine is also effective in protecting residents if they are in a country where it is available.
Can the mpox virus spread further?
Scientists believe that if any new outbreaks linked to Congo are identified quickly, they could be stopped relatively quickly, given the resources available in wealthy countries to stop the virus from spreading.
Marks said the “big risk” was in Central Africa, where the outbreak is emerging and spreading.
“It is possible that a small number of cases could be exported further afield, as has been the case in Sweden, but the greatest risk and focus of the response needs to be in Central Africa,” he said.
Ngongo also urged people to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic and “act now”.
