Referred to as monkeypox in the past, the Mpox virus is raising concern across the globe. In a recent LMDtv interview, the President of the Sri Lankan Medical & Dental Association in the UK (SLMDA UK), Prof. Suranjith Seneviratne addressed the doubts there are about the virus.

Originating from animals, the Mpox virus falls into the same category as smallpox, cowpox and vaccinia. This virus was first found in monkeys in 1958 and humans in 1970, mainly in Central and West Africa.

Seneviratne – who is a Consultant in Clinical Immunology, Allergy and Immunogenetics at the Royal Free Hospital, University College London and Health Services Laboratories – cited the two major clades of Mpox: clade I and clade II.

These clades are further divided into ‘a’ and ‘b’: “Clade Ib was found in the UK and over 100 countries in 2022, and is still prevalent and transmitted between men having intercourse with men.

However, what we’re dealing with today is caused by Clade IIb, he noted. “This year, there have been 14,000-15,000 cases predominantly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and some cases in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya,” he informed.

Regardless of the clade, the clinical features of all Mpox variants are very similar.

Seneviratne explained that “the incubation period can vary from between five and 21 days. Initial symptoms are standard for viral infections – such as fever, body aches and pains, a sore throat, muscle and joint pains, headaches and an enlargement of lymph nodes.”

He elaborated: “The rash comes up about three to five days after the onset of fever; it then becomes blisters, breaks down and can get infected as scabs form.”

“We have to remember that this is not COVID-19, which was airborne and much more transmissible,” Seneviratne underscored. And he added that not remembering this can cause unnecessary panic, which will make the world “lose sight of what needs to be done to bring this condition under control.”

While those who received the smallpox vaccination are somewhat protected against Mpox since these viruses belong to the same family, this excludes children who haven’t received it since its eradication.

In addition, Seneviratne emphasised that children who are less than a year old, pregnant women and other immunocompromised individuals like cancer patients are vulnerable groups.

On 14 August, the WHO declared clade IIb of the Mpox virus a global health emergency of international concern. “The reason that the WHO did this is because once it’s declared, it reduces red tape, and enables the release of funds for vaccines, surveillance and diagnostics,” he asserted.

Moreover, the President of SLMDA UK outlined how “a condition anywhere is a risk to people all over the world.”

He noted: “Mpox has been causing illness in Africa for a while but the world took note when it came to developed countries. Then they produced vaccines in 2022, after which people again became very complacent and forgot about the condition while it was circulating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”

“Not much was done between September 2023 and August this year. When people were crying out in Africa, the West and other countries were not taking too much notice,” he said, pointing out that countries like the US, the UK and Germany had stockpiles of vaccines “with no interest in getting them to the place that people needed them the most, which is Africa.”

“One does not get credit for an outbreak that’s avoided – this is the paradox of infectious disease,” he said, adding that “people seem to wait till the condition affects the population and then act on it.”

“This happened with COVID-19, and we are falling into [the same pattern] again with Mpox where the action is very slow, people are stockpiling vaccines and other treatment options for their own populations, and not getting to the heart of the problem where circulation is occurring,” he lamented.