The virus has now spread to other countries, with cases found in Sweden and Thailand. It has prompted the World Health Organisation to declare this a global health emergency.

University of Auckland associate professor and co-director of the Global Vaccine Data Network, Dr Helen Petousis-Harris, told The Front Page mpox is part of the Orthpox family of viruses, and is similar to smallpox. While it doesn’t spread easily, it does spread through close contact, and leads to flu-like symptoms such as fever, chills and congestion, then to a rash that can be extremely painful.

She says it’s difficult to ascertain the mortality rate of this outbreak.

“For a long time, it probably had a lot of impact cases that were going undetected, particularly due to, for example in Nigeria [they] criminalise same-sex activity, also expression of trans people.

“So if you presented with this pox, you may seem to be affiliated with these practices, which could be very detrimental to you, so you can appreciate why people might keep quite quiet about it.

“And we’ve seen a lower mortality rate outside of Africa. So you’ve also got different populations, you’ve probably got different healthcare, you’re probably also likely to capture all the cases as well. So I think that’s a good question, but yes, this one does seem to be more lethal.”

She says the WHO declaration helps elevate the awareness of mpox, and requires a coordinated international response.

“It puts more of a priority on it, the focus on therapeutics and vaccines, for example, and also for people to collaborate, countries, nations to collaborate in sharing their knowledge.

“If you want to dampen down an outbreak or control or eliminate it, you need to collaborate because people just hop on planes all the time. And, of course, the infection, that’s how it pops up all over the place and how it spread in 2022; it’s a plane ride away.”

-NZ Herald