MPOX/Taiwan CDC raises travel alert for 7 African countries due to mpox

Taipei, Aug. 15 (CNA) Taiwan's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) raised its travel alert for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and six other African countries on Thursday after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the mpox outbreak in Africa as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the PHEIC on Wednesday following a surge of mpox infections in the DRC and a rising number of African countries.

He said the emergence of a new strain of the disease, and the rapid spread in the eastern DRC and neighboring countries are "very worrying."

CDC Deputy Director-General Lo Yi-chun (羅一鈞) said that the CDC decided to raise Travel Health Notices for seven African countries starting Thursday due to "the high transmission rate and mortality rate" of the new strain that has already spread in the DRC and neighboring countries.

The DRC has been raised to "Level 2: Alert." This means Taiwanese travelers are urged to practice enhanced precautions.

Meanwhile, a 'Level 1: Watch' was issued for the Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, indicating that Taiwanese travelers in those countries should practice usual precautions. Previously there was no advisory issued for these countries.

The CDC's Travel Health Notice system is a three-tier travel advisory system.

More than 15,600 mpox cases and 537 deaths related to the disease have been reported in the DRC this year, according to WHO data.

Lo said that predominantly young adults and children are affected by the current outbreak, which involves a new mpox virus strain, called clade 1b, which so far has a higher transmission rate and mortality rate (3.6 percent) than the previously widespread clade 2, (0.2 percent).

He advised travelers in countries where an advisory has been issued to avoid crowded places, especially high-risk areas such as medical facilities.

"After returning (to Taiwan), please keep an eye out for any related symptoms, such as fever or rashes," he added.

So far, 37 domestic and 3 imported mpox cases have been reported this year in Taiwan, according to a CDC statement. None involve the clade 1b strain.

In response to the global outbreak, Lo said a meeting will be convened between experts to discuss prevention strategies and adjust target vaccination groups by next week at the earliest.

The CDC said it is bolstering Taiwan's disease prevention efforts against mpox, including public health education, case reporting and testing, and treatment strategies.

Vaccination is currently the most effective way to prevent mpox. Taiwan has sufficient mpox vaccine doses, with around 20,000 bottles available and an additional 10,000 bottles expected by the end of the year, which is enough to get 70,000 to 80,000 individuals vaccinated, the CDC statement said.

The CDC also noted there are enough mpox antiviral drugs in stock for around 440 courses of treatment.

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, can be transmitted from animals to humans and humans to humans.

According to the WHO, human-to-human transmission occurs through contact with bodily fluids, skin lesions, internal mucosal surfaces (such as those in the mouth or throat), respiratory droplets, or contaminated objects.

Mpox presents with fever, an extensive rash and swollen lymph nodes, and the incubation period ranges between five and 21 days, the WHO said.