Health Ministry monitoring mpox cases after WHO sounds alarm over outbreak

The Health Ministry says it is monitoring the incidence of mpox in Israel and worldwide following the World Health Organization’s announcement of an increase in the number of cases diagnosed with Clade I (a strain of the virus) in various countries in Central Africa, an area where the strain is endemic.

More than 17,000 mpox cases and more than 500 deaths have been reported in 13 countries in Africa, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral disease that can spread between people and from infected animals.

The new variant appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, particularly among children.

The ministry says it has not changed its vaccination policy, however. One case of Clade I has been reported in Europe in a person who returned from one of the affected countries in Africa but there are no cases of Clade I in other Western countries or in Israel.

The ministry recommends that populations at risk of contracting the virus, including men who have sex with men, complete the vaccination protocol, which includes two doses administered at least a month apart. The vaccine is available at health clinics.

Mpox symptoms include fever, rash, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, headaches, muscle aches, chills, and exhaustion. The illness typically resolves within two to four weeks.

In 2022, there was an outbreak in Israel with 260 diagnosed cases, but there were no known deaths.