The mpox (monkeypox) virus is transmitted to humans through a bite or direct contact with an infected animal’s blood, body fluids or cutaneous/mucosal lesions.
Since the beginning of mpox monitoring in 2022 and until 31 July 2024, 102 977 confirmed cases of mpox due to MPXV clade I and clade II, including 219 deaths, have been reported by 121 countries globally, according to WHO (2022-24 Mpox (Monkeypox) Outbreak: Global Trends (shinyapps.io)). All cases of MPXV clade I have been reported from the African continent apart from one reported by Sweden and one by Thailand.
MPXV has been detected in blood, urine, tissue abscesses and bodily fluids and could potentially be transmitted through SoHO. However, to date, there has been no reported transmission of MPXV through SoHO and the likelihood of this is unknown.
There has been an increase in the number of people infected with monkeypox virus (MPXV) clade I in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since November 2023.
This reporting protocol is intended for reporting national case-based data for surveillance of mpox from all the countries and areas of the WHO European Region.
This issue of the ECDC Communicable Disease Threats Report (CDTR) covers the period 31 August - 6 September 2024 and includes updates on mpox, West Nile virus, SARS-CoV-2 variants, influenza A(H5N1), human cases of swine influenza A(H1N1), an overview of respiratory virus epidemiology in the EU/EEA, and mass gathering monitoring for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
In a new risk assessment, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has said that it is highly likely that the EU/EEA will see more imported cases of mpox caused by the clade I virus currently circulating in Africa.
The monkeypox virus (MPXV) clade I epidemic that has been affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since November 2023 has recently spread to several other African countries including Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya.
