Mpox outbreak is “not a Covid scenario,” assures Institute of Tropical Medicine

“There’s no need to panic,” about a case of mpox diagnosed in Sweden, according to professor Laurens Liesenborghs of the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, an expertise centre in infectious disease. “It’s a more contagious variant, but we are not looking at a Covid scenario,” he assures us. “It’s not as contagious as that.”

The new variant of mpox, a viral disease that causes pocks much like the better-know chickenpox, was discovered in Democratic Republic of Congo a few months ago. It is more contagious than the former variant and has spread to more than a dozen African countries. Some 14,000 people have become infected, leading to more than 500 deaths.

A Swedish national who was in an infected area has been diagnosed with the new mpox variant. While it is the first diagnosis outside of Africa, it is not expected to be the only one.

Still, it’s much too early to consider a vaccination campaign, says Liesenborghs. “Healthcare authorities are taking the situation very seriously, but no measures are needed right now,” confirms Liesenborghs. “We must monitor the situation closely.”

Mpox is usually spread through sexual contact, but can also transmitted through saliva. “You have to come into direct contact with someone who actually has pocks,” to become infected, explains the professor.

Belgium has seen former variants of mpox infection. There was a vaccination campaign among gay men in 2022, which was very effective. “We are pretty well protected here because of that campaign, when about half of all at-risk people got vaccinated.”