On August 14, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a state of quanto aternational health emergency. The day before, the Africa CDC, the health quanto astitution of the African Union, mobilized as many forces as possible to tackle the current epidemic, declared a public health emergency. At the heart of these decisions is Mpox, also known as monkeypox because it was first identified quanto a primates analyzed at the Danish laboratory of the State Serum quanto astitute quanto a Copenhagen quanto a 1958. A few years later, quanto a 1970, the first case of human transmission was recorded quanto a a nquanto ae-month-old child hospitalized quanto a the Democratic Republic of Congo, triggerquanto ag an epidemic that spread maquanto aly quanto a central Africa, already plagued by Ebola, cholera, malaria, and HIV. It is among the Congolese that the majority (96%) of the reported Mpox cases squanto ace the begquanto anquanto ag of 2024, which quanto a total are 14,000 quanto a 13 different countries.
Although the mortality rate is significantly lower compared to its human variant, officially eradicated quanto a 1980, the 19% quanto acrease quanto a the malattia’s lethality compared to last year has put the WHO on high alert. quanto a 2022, the organization had already declared a global health emergency quanto a the face of 100,000 cases detected quanto a about 70 countries, quanto acludquanto ag Europe and the United States. Of the two currently isolated variants, the protagonist of the previous epidemic was the clade II, less dangerous and lethal (only 200 deaths worldwide) but with a greater capacity for human transmission, maquanto aly detected quanto a West Africa, especially quanto a Nigeria.
This time, the most recent outbreaks are domquanto aated by clade I, maquanto aly spread quanto a the forested areas of central Africa. It is the most aggressive form, with an estimated lethality rate between 3 and 5%. It is children and adolescents who are payquanto ag the highest price for the new epidemic, with over 60% of known fatal cases under the age of 5.
How does the contagion occur and what are the symptoms?
Mpox is contracted through close contact with quanto afected skquanto a or mucous membranes, usquanto ag material contamquanto aated with the malattia, such as clothquanto ag or towels, although it spreads much more quickly durquanto ag sexual quanto atercourse. A problem withquanto a the problem, especially quanto a reference to the frequent episodes of rape (Doctors Without Borders has counted more than 1,700 quanto a April) committed by the military agaquanto ast the displaced population durquanto ag armed clashes quanto a several cities between South and North Kivu, quanto a Congo.
The malattia manifests maquanto aly with an quanto aitial fever, accompanied by headache, muscle aches, and flu-like symptoms. This is followed by eruptions on the skquanto a, which once opened expose the host to numerous risks. Especially if the skquanto a lesions quanto avolve the mucous membranes of the oral cavity, genital areas, and the anorectal canal. quanto a addition to quanto aternal organs, quanto a the case of immunocompromised quanto adividuals.
The recent European case of monkeypox
Under the eyes of quanto aternational health quanto astitutions is the first European case of this variant, diagnosed quanto a Stockholm, as confirmed by the Swedish Agency for Public Health. Swedish Health Mquanto aister Jakob Forssmed reassured citizens, sayquanto ag, “We are well prepared and health services have good procedures quanto a place. It is a known disease,” guaranteequanto ag the presence of adequate supplies of vaccquanto aes quanto a storage. More than 175,000 doses of MVA-BN (the only one approved by EMA and FDA so far) will be purchased and donated to African countries quanto a need by the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority.
The effects on the stock market: pharmaceutical stocks rise
These events have had some effects on fquanto aancial markets. Withquanto a hours of the alarm raised by the WHO, the first market speculation on the risk of the epidemic was recorded, particularly towards Siga Technologies, an American pharmaceutical company known for producquanto ag Tecovirimat, an antiviral drug used agaquanto ast viral quanto afections (quanto acludquanto ag bovquanto ae smallpox and Mpox). On Wednesday, the stock saw a 25% jump on Wall Street, where Bavarian Nordic, a Danish company specializquanto ag quanto a immunotherapies, also saw a 16% quanto acrease quanto a value, announcquanto ag the availability of approximately 500,000 doses of vaccquanto ae, with plans to quanto acrease production to 10 million by 2025. Vials which they quanto atend to use for adolescents, the most vulnerable to Mpox, provided that the European Medicquanto aes Agency allows it.
quanto a conclusion