Ministry releases guide amid growing mpox outbreak

ANKARA

Türkiye's Health Ministry has released a comprehensive 24-page guide on mpox, which has recently surged in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and has become a global threat.

The guide includes contributions from various experts and aims to educate the public and health professionals on the nature of the disease, its transmission routes and preventive measures.

The DRC has become the epicenter of the mpox outbreak, with over 16,000 cases reported this year and more than 500 deaths.

The outbreak, driven by the more deadly and transmissible clade 1b strain of the virus, has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to issue its highest level of international alert.

Mpox can spread from animals to humans and between humans through close physical contact, including sexual contact.

The guide details the symptoms of the disease, which include fever, fatigue, headache, rash and swollen lymph nodes. While the symptoms typically last between two and four weeks and are self-limiting, severe cases can occur, particularly in infants and children.

The guide said while mpox shares some similarities with smallpox, it is less contagious and generally milder.

However, vaccines used against smallpox do offer some protection against mpox, and antiviral agents developed for smallpox are also used in mpox treatment.

The WHO has called on vaccine manufacturers to increase production to control the spread of the virus and has urged countries with vaccine stockpiles to donate them to affected regions.

The ministry's guide highlights the importance of providing clinical care and supportive treatment to manage symptoms and prevent complications.

It also notes that hot water baths and painkillers may be used to alleviate discomfort, while serious conditions such as encephalitis and myocarditis, though rare, require careful monitoring.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Kemal Memişoğlu confirmed that there are currently no cases of mpox in Türkiye.

"We are not worried about an epidemic. In other words, there is no alarm situation for the moment," Memişoğlu told private broadcaster HaberTürk on Aug. 17.

The minister said a scientific committee has been established within the ministry to address the virus.

In the vast central African nation of Congo, many of the most vulnerable seem unaware of its existence or the threat that it poses.

Millions are thought to be out of reach of medical help or advice in the conflict-torn east, where dozens of rebel groups have been fighting Congolese army forces for years over mineral-rich areas, causing a huge displacement crisis.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced into overcrowded refugee camps around Goma, while more have taken refuge in the city.

Conditions in the camps are dire and medical facilities are almost nonexistent.

Congo is now enduring its worst outbreak yet and at least 13 African countries have recorded cases, four of them for the first time.

The outbreaks in those four countries — Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda — have been linked to Congo.

In 2022, there were outbreaks in more than 70 countries around the world, which led the WHO to also declare an emergency that lasted until mid-2023.

It was largely shut down in wealthy countries within months through the use of vaccines and treatments, but few doses have been made available in Africa.