### Scientists Warn: A New Smallpox Strain Spreading Outside Congo is Rapidly Mutating
#### World Health Organization: Congo Faces Outbreaks of Two Strains with Over 18,000 Suspected Cases and 615 Deaths This Year
Scientists studying a new strain of the smallpox virus that has spread beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo have issued warnings about the virus mutating faster than anticipated. This strain often spreads in regions where experts lack the necessary funding and equipment to properly track the virus.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Congo is facing outbreaks of both the first and second strains of the virus. The country has reported more than 18,000 suspected cases and 615 deaths this year alone.
Dr. Dimi Oguina, an infectious disease specialist and the head of the WHO Emergency Committee on Monkeypox, has warned about the dangers posed by the mutations in the monkeypox virus, highlighting the challenges faced in combating the disease under difficult conditions.
“The smallpox virus is evolving rapidly. In fact, strain 2B has developed into a new strain over the past five years, and now we have strain 1, which is quickly mutating into a new variant,” Dr. Oguina stated. “We are not entirely sure about the nature of the new strain that may emerge in the future or the consequences of such new variants.”
African nations fear that the international community may neglect to assist them in containing and reducing the spread of monkeypox, which has seen a surge in cases across several African countries already struggling with inadequate healthcare services.
African countries hope that the international community will not leave them to face this outbreak alone, with their limited resources, amidst conditions that facilitate the rapid spread of the virus, such as weak healthcare systems, high population density, and easy cross-border movement.
Experts believe that the COVID-19 pandemic should serve as a lesson to the world to swiftly contain any new epidemic and to assist countries where it first appears in order to curb its spread. They emphasize that the best way to limit the spread of monkeypox is to provide African health authorities with the necessary vaccines on a wide scale to contain and eliminate the virus.
Health organizations are calling on African nations to unite their efforts in confronting the virus and to mitigate the severity of the disease before resorting to border closures.
The emergence of monkeypox cases outside Africa—in countries such as Sweden and Thailand—has prompted experts to warn of the seriousness of the situation. They are urging countries with the means to assist Africa in controlling the outbreak to take action now.
In this regard, Senegalese expert Aliou Bendai stated, “The time has come to provide large quantities of vaccines to African countries to control the spread of the virus and ensure that new strains do not emerge, as was the case in 2022 when rapid mobilization led to the availability of everything needed for testing, treatment, and vaccination.”
The rapid spread of this contagious disease across the African continent led the WHO to declare smallpox a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” on August 14.
Monkeypox virus is originally transmitted through contact with infected animals in Central and West Africa, but it is now spreading among humans through direct contact. Monkeypox is a viral disease similar to smallpox, but less severe. Despite this, it has caused a public health emergency that threatens the security of the African continent after spreading to several countries.
The disease causes symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle pain, and a rash that spreads from the face to other parts of the body.
By/radwa sherif ✏️✏️📚