A new, more dangerous strain of monkeypox, now called Mpox, has been detected in Europe. The WHO has activated its highest alert level and warns of the risk of contagion in Europe and therefore in France.
Monkeypox, now called Mpox or Monkeypox, and its spread are being closely monitored. While the World Health Organization (WHO) has activated the highest level of global alert for the epidemic caused by a more dangerous strain of the virus and a first case linked to this strain was recorded in Europe, more precisely in Sweden, on August 15, the arrival of the virus in France is highly probable according to specialists. The resigning Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, has also ordered the French health authorities to be in a “state of maximum vigilance” against monkeypox.
Several cases of monkeypox have already been detected in France in 2022 – more than 4,900 between May and December – but these were contagions linked to the Clade II strain. If the Mpox epidemic is causing more concern in 2024, it is because it is another more dangerous strain of the virus, Clade I and more particularly Clade Ib, which is spreading. Since January 2024, this strain of monkeypox has already affected more than 15,600 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has caused the death of 537 patients. The disease has also spread to Burundi, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
“It is likely that further imported cases of Clade I will be recorded in the European region in the coming days and weeks,” the WHO warned. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) considers, for its part, that the risk of Mpox spreading in Europe is very low. It has raised the risk level from “low” to “moderate” and advises following national vaccination recommendations for people travelling to risk areas.
How is monkeypox transmitted?
Monkeypox or Mpox is originally a zoonosis, that is to say a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans. But the transmission of the virus is also interhuman and occurs through direct and close contact with an infected person. The first human case dates back to 1970 and was discovered in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.Health insurance warns that the main mode of transmission is direct contact with skin lesions or internal mucous membranes of the patient such as the mouth or genital and anal areas. The authority also specifies that the use of a condom does not guarantee protection against the transmission of monkeypox during sexual intercourse.
Although this mode of transmission is one of the most observed, monkeypox is not only a sexually transmitted infection since other contacts with a sick person can lead to contamination: respiratory droplets (spittle) or prolonged contact with a sick person or objects touched and contaminated by the infected person such as clothing or linens.
A person with monkeypox is contagious from the onset of symptoms until the skin lesions heal. In the absence of symptoms, there is no risk of transmission according to Health Insurance.
The virus is still circulating in France
In France, the number of cases since the beginning of 2024 has “significantly decreased compared to the number reported in 2022”, according to Public Health France. The cases in France are not from the worrying new strains. 53 patients were recorded between January and April of this year. As of August 2022, 3,500 cases had been reported since the start of the epidemic. But the epidemic is not over with nearly 10 new cases per month. In 2022, a vaccination campaign made it possible to acquire immunity during the previous epidemic, which should help protect at-risk populations.
Who is affected by monkeypox?
During the 2022 epidemic, monkeypox mainly affected men: 4,801 male patients out of 4,967 people infected in France, according to health authorities. Due to the profile of patients and the modes of transmission, monkeypox is considered a disease that mainly affects homosexual and sexually active men, but the disease can also occur in women and children. Also in 2022, 142 people affected by Mpox in France were women and 24 were children under 15 years old.
The WHO also points out that “The risk of contracting monkeypox is not limited to sexually active or gay people.” She adds that those most at risk of contracting the disease are those who have multiple risky relationships (unprotected oral, anal or vaginal) with multiple partners.
What is the monkeypox vaccine?
According to Pasteur Institutethe diagnosis can be made by specialized doctors, such as infectious disease specialists or dermatologists. It requires an oropharyngeal PCR test, i.e. in the mouth, and pustules present on the skin. In the event of a positive test, and in the most severe cases, an antiviral, initially designed to treat smallpox, may be prescribed. This treatment must be taken as soon as possible and for a period of 15 days.
It should be noted that a vaccine against monkeypox exists for groups most exposed to the virus. In France, the government has been offering certain people the possibility of being vaccinated since July 11, 2022:
- Men who have sex with men and trans people, in both cases, with multiple partners
- People in prostitution
- Professionals working in places of sexual consumption.
Vaccination is given in two doses 28 days apart, one for people already vaccinated against smallpox or three for people who are immunocompromised.