The World Health Organization has declared a fast-spreading mpox outbreak in Africa a global health emergency as the agency seeks to contain the spread of the potentially deadly virus.
The spread of the new strain of mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo, “its detection in neighboring countries that had not previously reported, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing Wednesday.
Liberia has recorded five case while about 500 deaths are reported in DR Cong.
The National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) said Thursday it will heighten its surveillance system and strengthen its outbreak preparedness plan to activate measures and specific response mechanism to address any impending outbreak of Mpox in the country.
“The public is strongly advised to take the following preventive measures such as constant hand-washing, avoid sex with person suspected of having Mpox symptoms, avoid close contact with persons suspected of Mpox symptoms, avoid animal contact, and report to the nearest medical facility should you experience or observe any of the Mpox symptoms listed above,” Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan, NPHIL Director-General said in a statement published on the agency website.
The Mpox is the disease caused by the Monkeypox virus which belongs to the same family as the virus that causes smallpox.
It is transmitted through various modes that include direct skin-toskin contact, sexual contact with bodily fluids or lesionsfound around the anus, rectum, or vagina from an Mpox infected person, and through respiratory secretions and droplets, among others. Symptoms include fever, chills, headache, swollen lymph nodes, muscles aches, among others.
