The WHO Just Declared Mpox a Public Health Emergency—How Worried Should We Be?

Ashley Broadwater
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On Wednesday, August 14, the director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced that mpox is an international public health emergency.

FYI, Mpox is the same thing as monkeypox, which you may have heard discussed more in 2022. The name was changed for good reasons: Racist and stigmatizing language had been used with the term, and monkeys aren’t the only animal carriers of the disease.

According to the CDC, mpox is in the same family as the virus that causes smallpox, but it’s not related to chickenpox. Further, there are two types of mpox: Clade I and Clade II. The latter originated in 2022 and is less severe. Mpox causes a rash that will go through several stages, including scabbing, before fully healing.

Related: How Did Monkeypox Actually Start? Doctors Explain Its History

What Has Caused the Resurgence of Mpox as a Public Health Emergency?

While Clade II was more recent, it’s not what we’re facing now in 2024. “Ongoing surveillance of cases and laboratory testing of people with mpox illness identified that the recent increase in cases is associated with Clade I and is a separate outbreak,” says Dr. Anne O’Keefe, MD, professor and vice chair of public health at Creighton University School of Medicine.

To clarify, the cases aren’t in America yet, or at least not primarily. “There has been a rapid upsurge in cases in eastern DRC and neighboring countries,” says Dr. Nikhil Bhayani, MD, assistant professor at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU.

Dr. O’Keefe adds that the ultimate cause of this resurgence is unknown, but that the outbreak investigation team will likely look into it.

Words like “resurgence” and “emergency” can be scary—what do they mean in this context? “The outbreak has been called a public health emergency of international concern because the affected areas will need resources, including vaccines and epidemiologic support and coordination, in order to control and stop the outbreak,” Dr. O’Keefe explains.

How Worried Should We Be in the United States?

Mpox is endemic to parts of Africa, yet the public health emergency is still considered international. Should we be concerned all the way over here in the U.S.? Is another shelter-in-place situation ahead?

Generally speaking, no. Dr. Bhayani says the risk to the public is relatively low. However, as with any infectious disease, some people are more at risk (and it’s important to protect not only ourselves, but them). “The high-risk group includes men who have sex with other men, people with multiple sex partners, and immunocompromised individuals,” she says.

Dr. O’Keefe wants to assure people that multiple countries are taking precautions to limit the spread. “While it is possible that someone who is infected could travel to the U.S. and infect others, the public health systems in Africa and the U.S. are working hard to prevent that,” she says. They're increasing surveillance and limiting travel for people who have been exposed, for example, and working closely with doctors. “In the U.S., the CDC has alerted health departments, physicians and other healthcare professionals of the outbreak, and given them information on how to identify patients and implement control measures to prevent further spread.”

On that note, if someone becomes infected with mpox, it will be quite obvious and easier to control than some other illnesses, she continues, as it causes a distinctive rash.

The effects are serious, though, especially since we’re looking at Clade I, which has a higher fatality rate. Dr. Bhayani says more people could experience a high fever, severe headache, muscle aches and lymph node enlargement with this clade.

Precautions to Take to Protect Yourself From Mpox

Since mpox isn’t necessarily a major concern in the U.S. as of now, the list of precautions are pretty short. “Most people do not need to take any special precautions at this time,” Dr. O’Keefe says. However, if you have risk factors for exposure, she continues—such as sexual contact or physical contact with another person’s open wounds, clothes, linens or toys, among other materials—get vaccinated.

Related: Do You Need the Monkeypox Vaccine?

Besides vaccination, Dr. Bhayani recommends maintaining good hygiene and avoiding close contact with infected individuals. Additionally, the WHO urges frequent handwashing with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub, using condoms, avoiding wild animals (dead and alive) and cooking meat thoroughly before eating it. Lastly, knowing the signs of mpox and what a mpox rash looks like can help.

Signs of Mpox and When to See a Doctor

Other than the skin rash, signs of mpox include mucosal lesions that can last two to four weeks, as well as a fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes. It can be transmitted through physical contact with an infected person or animal, or with a contaminated material.

Related: Doctors Explain These Are the First Symptoms of Monkeypox to Look Out For

Real-life examples of what the rash looks like are on the CDC’s website, by the way. Note that they don’t look the same. For example, some are dark spots while others look like red bumps, white pimples or insect bites.

If your rash looks like an mpox rash, and you’ve been in contact with someone else who has a similar rash or have visited the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), be sure to talk to your doctor. While you may nervously want to rush over to their office, don’t throw precaution out the window. Dr. O’Keefe says these possibly infected individuals “should contact their doctor and make sure to tell them about their suspicion before they arrive at the clinic.”

Do this sooner rather than later, too, since Dr. Bhayani says “Early diagnosis and treatment can help manage the spread of the virus.”

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