The Maldives has begun implementing necessary measures in response to the World Health Organization's (WHO) declaration that mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) has become a global threat, particularly prevalent in the African region.
The Maldives has begun implementing necessary measures in response to the World Health Organization's (WHO) declaration that mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) has become a global threat, particularly prevalent in the African region.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that the organization's emergency committee had concluded that the situation posed a global threat.
“I have accepted this recommendation,” he confirmed.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) in the Maldives is currently conducting a risk assessment of the disease and will soon provide guidance on public health measures.
An HPA official mentioned that no suspected cases have been reported in Maldives so far, but additional details regarding the precautionary measures will be announced today.
Mpox, originally known as monkeypox, is a virus transmitted to humans through contact with infected animals. Once in a human host, the virus can be spread from person to person, though transmission typically requires close physical contact.
The virus was first identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Symptoms include coughing, pain, and pus-filled blisters on the body.
There are two identified strains of the virus: clade 1, which is common in the Congo region of Central Africa, and clade 2, prevalent in West Africa. Clade 1 is associated with a higher vulnerability.
In May 2022, mpox was reported globally, with the disease primarily affecting homosexual men at that time, who were infected with the clade 2B subclade. The WHO declared it a global health threat.
The threat status was maintained from July 2022 to May 2023 but was lifted after a decline in cases. However, since September of the previous year, over 11,000 people have been infected in the Democratic Republic of Congo, resulting in 445 deaths, as reported by Tedros on July 11.
To date, the WHO reports that more than 14,000 people have been infected and 524 have died in 2024 alone.
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