Is Monkey-pox the New Covid-19? World Health Organization Issues Statement

Recently, the Mpox outbreak, which has been detected in several countries, especially in Africa, and has been the subject of warnings by the World Health Organization (WHO), is spreading rapidly. A spokesperson for the WHO clarified whether the Mpox disease could lead to a new global pandemic.

The question of whether Mpox resembles Covid-19 and whether it could cause a new global pandemic continues to be a topic of concern.

WHO Regional Director for Europe, Hans Kluge, emphasized that Mpox was not the new Covid-19 for the world, stating, “We can and should fight Mpox together. So, will we choose to implement the necessary measures to control and eradicate Mpox globally? Or will we enter another cycle of panic and neglect? How we respond now and in the coming years will be a critical test for Europe and the world.”

WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris also pointed out that in the fight against Mpox, instead of mass vaccination, “targeted vaccination” should be conducted in areas where the virus is spreading. She also noted that stopping the spread of Mpox was easier compared to Covid-19, saying, “People do not need to worry, thinking we are facing a situation like Covid-19.”

Last week, the WHO declared the spread of the disease as a “public health emergency of international concern.”

Harris mentioned that there was no specific treatment for the Mpox virus, and although there was no antiviral drug that could cure the virus, symptomatic treatment was effective.

WILL THERE BE A LOCKDOWN?

Harris stated that vaccines developed for smallpox were effective against Mpox, adding “Mass vaccination is not recommended for Mpox. This is very important. Targeted vaccination needs to be done in areas where the virus is spreading. The current challenge is to supply the limited vaccines and deliver them to outbreak sites. Northern Europe, the US, and Japan have good vaccine resources.”

“As long as you know who is infected and follow good contact tracing and isolation measures, it can be stopped quite easily. So, there is no need for a lockdown due to the outbreak. What is needed is very good surveillance to know exactly who is sick.”

“THIS VIRUS SPREADS DIFFERENTLY”

Harris acknowledged that people were worried about whether a situation similar to Covid-19 might begin with Mpox. She noted following as well: “People do not need to worry, thinking we are facing a situation like Covid-19. This is a very different virus; it spreads differently. Covid-19 spreads through the air. Mpox, on the other hand, primarily spreads through very close physical contact. So, stopping everything related to physical contact is actually easier than stopping something that spreads through the air. Because it can spread to a large crowd. This was one of the reasons why many communities had to go into quarantine because they were running out of options. That is why wearing masks was so important. However, we do not want the Mpox virus to spread globally and turn into a pandemic. The Mpox virus was declared a public health emergency of international concern to prevent a pandemic.”