Where is the situation in Europe?

How dangerous is this virus?

The Mpox (formerly called “monkey pox”, editor’s note) is circulating in Africa as the “clade 1b” variant. 3 to 9% of cases in Africa are fatal, especially in children and people at increased risk of severe infection. The fatality rate depends on the level of medical care: in Europe, where it is good, it will be lower.

Can the disease spread like Covid-19?

It is not comparable to Covid-19 but we must remain vigilant, without falling into psychosis. The Mpox virus is not transmitted in the same way. Between humans, it is transmitted by direct contact with the skin lesions or mucous membranes of an infected person, in particular the vesicles caused on the body by the disease. It is therefore necessary to avoid sharing clothes or the bed of the sick person. It can be transmitted within the same family, or during sexual relations, but not on public transport. In addition, the incubation period is longer than that of Covid, between 5 and 21 days. As a result, Mpox spreads less easily.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the epidemic a “global emergency”…

The WHO was right to trigger its highest level of alert to mobilize the international community. This is to support Africa in its fight against the disease and to prevent the spread of Mpox to the rest of the world. Currently, the epidemic is worrying in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a recent expansion in East Africa. This complex situation is due to the difficulties of management and the lack of access to vaccination in Africa. Controlling the epidemic is potentially simpler and faster in Europe. In 2022, France had already recorded several thousand cases of another strain (clade 2) on its territory. A smallpox vaccine helped to stifle the emerging epidemic. It will be mobilized in this new spread.

After Covid-19, is France ready to face it?

No one can predict the evolution of an epidemic, but I insist, we are not in the situation of Covid-19. The spread of the virus, and the Mpox epidemic in 2022, have made it possible to put in place protection, screening and rapid care mechanisms… even if our hospital services are in crisis, as the 2020 pandemic had shown.