Mpox symptoms explained as UK prepares for outbreak after first European case is confirmed

The UK is now preparing for a mpox outbreak, after the first case in Europe was confirmed.

After the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the situation a global health emergency due to 500-plus deaths, there have been calls for ‘international help to stop the virus’.

However, Sweden went on to confirm it has recorded its first case - marking the first in Europe - saying the person became infected during a stay in Africa.

With the person being infected by the ‘more grave’ clade 1 strain, people are panicked that we’ll be entering another pandemic.

But knowing what to look out for, and how it spreads is key to protecting yourself.

Mpox is a viral infection which causes pox-like legions. (Getty Stock Images)

What is mpox?

Mpox is categorised as a viral infection which was first identified at the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen in 1958, after monkeys used for research began developing pox.

Although it was primarily seen in monkeys, which is why it was formerly known as monkeypox before the WHO changed its name in 2022 due to the ‘racist and stigmatising language’.

However, in 1970, the first human case was confirmed and was seen in a nine-year-old boy who developed a rash that reminded doctors of smallpox.

Decades on, scientists have identified two major strains of mpox in Africa, which they call clades.

Clade 1b is what is allegedly involved in the current outbreak. This strain has a higher mortality rate than the strain in 2022.

Clade 1b emerged last year and was found in sex workers in the town of Kamitug.

Mpox was originally seen in monkeys before being spread onto humans. (Getty Stock Image)

What are the symptoms?

What was found in the 2022 global outbreak, was that the first symptoms included a high temperature, muscle aches, headaches, swollen lymph glands and fatigue.

However, the rash would not come until between one to five days after the first symptom appeared.

This rash would primarily begin on the face, before spreading to the rest of the body, including the nether regions.

At first, the posts are slightly raised before becoming filled with puss and are said to be severely painful.

With the pox lasting between two to four weeks, according to the WHO, all patients can infect others until the spots heal.

In severe cases of mpox, people can bleed from their rectum or die from complications such as sepsis or pneumonia.

Even though many people wouldn’t be likely to die, children and young people are more vulnerable to complications, as are those with weak immune systems.

Pregnant women are also at risk of developing congenital infection and miscarriage.

Although it is rare, mpox has been known to cause inflammation of the heart muscle and brain, induce seizures and cause blindness if pox develop on the eyelids.

Highly contagious, mpox can be transmitted through touching skin. (Getty Stock Images)

How do you transmit mpox?

It is said that children and teens are most affected in the outbreak in Africa, with over 60 percent of fatal cases being of those under the age of 5.

Clade 1 is reported to be spreading rapidly through sexual contact, and 29 percent of confirmed cases of the new strain were found to be among sex workers in June of this year.

Even though sex can spread it, it’s not a sexually transmitted disease as it can also be transmitted through skin-to-skin contact, sharing towels, beds or clothes.

The way the virus enters the body is though broken skin, the lungs, the nose, mouth, anus or the mucous membranes in the eyes.

Even though it’s not yet known which animal is largely carrying the disease, infected rodents are suspected of transmitting a lot of cases in Africa.

Vaccines could potentially stop the outbreak. (Getty Stock Images)

Why is a global emergency being declared?

The ‘public health emergency of international concern’, also known as PHEIC, is basically the WHO’s major alert.

If diseases begin to spread in new or strange ways, the WHO rallies organisations to tackle the outbreak.

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention also went on to echo the same sentiment the WHO did about the emergency.

After the emergency was declared, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it ‘is very worrying’.

He explained: “A coordinated international response is essential to stop this outbreak and save lives.”

When was the last global mpox outbreak?

In May 2022, outbreaks were recorded in more than 100 countries across the world, and these were countries that had never reported mpox before.

While it is usually seen in western Africa, it had begun to spread further across borders.

By August this year, over 200 deaths and 100,000 cases were reported.

Mpox usually doesn't require medical intervention. (Getty Stock Image)

How can it be treated?

Mpox typically is only mild and doesn’t require intervention other than relieving symptoms.

However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claimed that a combination of the smallpox vaccine, antivirals and vaccinia immune globulin can treat it.

Is there a vaccine?

There are vaccines against smallpox, and because the two viruses are closely linked, the MVA-BN and LC16 shots are typically used.

It was only in May that MVA-BN and LC16 were approved for general use, however LC16 can be used on children who are badly affected.

The African Union has approved $10.4 million of emergency funding for three million doses of vaccine this year.

These vaccines should work on this latest strain.