Category: Monkey Pox

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has recorded another confirmed case of mpox, also known as monkeypox, bringing the total number of infections in the kingdom to six since last December, the Ministry of Health said in a statement late on Thursday (Feb 8).

"Laboratory results from the National Institute of Public Health showed on Thursday that another man was diagnosed with mpox, so the total confirmed cases of the disease in Cambodia have risen to six," the ministry said.

"The latest patient has been undergoing proper treatment at a hospital."

The ministry renewed calls on people to be cautious, saying that mpox virus can be transmitted from person to person through all forms of sexual contact with a person with mpox and through direct contact with wounds, body fluids, saliva, and equipment contaminated with the virus.

It added that mpox can be passed from mother to child through an umbilical cord during or after birth if a pregnant woman has the disease.

"Individuals with symptoms such as rash with blisters on the face, palms, feet, body, eyes, mouth or genitals, fever, swollen lymph nodes, headache, muscle aches, low back pain, and fatigue should visit a health center or hospital for a consultation or test for mpox," the ministry said. - Xinhua

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Cambodia reports sixth confirmed case of monkey pox - The Star Online

The Ministry of Health yesterday confirmed that three more people were infected with Mpox (formerly called monkey pox), taking the total number of cases to nine in the country.

According to the press release issued by the Ministry of Health, the new cases were reported in Dangkor, Tuol Kork and Por Senchey districts of Phnom Penh and the patients are undergoing treatment.

The first new case of Mpox in Cambodia occurred on a 28-year-old man living in Po Pe village, Toek Thla commune, Sen Sok district, Phnom Penh.

Subsequently, there were new cases of Mpox, but the Health Ministry has not revealed their identities.

Following the three fresh cases, the ministry urged residents to take utmost care of their personal hygiene with a high sense of responsibility to prevent the disease from spreading.

The Health Ministry in its statement said that the Mpox virus is transmitted from person to person through all forms of sexual contact and direct contact with wounds, body fluids, saliva, airborne droplets and virus contaminated equipment, including clothing, towels or spoons, among other things.

The Mpox virus can also be transmitted from mother to child through the umbilical cord during or after childbirth, if a mother has the immunodeficiency syndrome.

Dr Quach Mengly, a renowned public health physician, said that Mpox is a viral disease caused by monkeys, mice, bats and squirrels.

It is a very rare disease in Cambodia; the symptom is itchiness all over the body. We do not want it to happen much in Cambodia because this virus can spread very quickly.

According to Dr Mengly, the symptoms of Mpox are similar to those of the flu, with fever, chills, fatigue, pain in the joints and rashes. There is no specific treatment yet; only primary care can be given to the infected patients.

It causes muscle pain, bone pain, a high temperature, and, most importantly, an itchy rash that leaves scars for between six months and one year, said Dr Mengly.

On July 23, 2022, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Mpox a global emergency that poses a risk to public health, especially in Europe.

According to the WHO, as of January 25, 2024, the disease has been spreading in 117 countries, with a total of 93,030 cases and 176 deaths across the world.

A rare disease caused by infection with the Mpox virus, the disease shows symptoms similar to smallpox, although less severe.

While smallpox was eradicated in 1980, Mpox continues to occur in countries in central and western Africa.

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Health Ministry confirms three new cases of Mpox in Phnom Penh - Khmer Times

SINGAPORE: There was a spate of monkey pox cases in Singapore in the last four months of 2023, with 25 of the total 32 cases last year diagnosed from September to December.

Twenty of all the cases were locally transmitted, although not all sources of infection are known, said a Ministry of Health (MOH) spokesman. He said the majority of the 12 imported cases were local residents who had travelled to countries in South America and South-east Asia.

Of the known local transmissions, one case was linked to an imported case, and two cases were linked to an earlier local unlinked case. Both clusters are now closed, as there have been no new cases linked to them for the last 42 days, or two incubation periods.

There were no family clusters, and the rest of the cases were unlinked.

Monkeypox was renamed mpox in Singapore in February 2023, in line with World Health Organisation guidelines that aim to avoid the stigma linked to the original name.

The MOH spokesman said: Globally, there has been an increase in mpox cases, and Singapore is also seeing an increase in cases locally.

Professor Paul Tambyah, a senior consultant in infectious diseases at the National University Hospital, speaking in his capacity as president of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, said: We are in line with the rest of East and South-east Asia in that the mpox peak is a bit later than in Europe and the Americas, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) data available.

In October 2023, WHO recorded 668 cases from 29 countries; the following month, there were 906 cases from 26 countries.

Professor Hsu Li Yang, vice-dean for global health at the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, said that although the mpox case count is still very low, the number of local transmissions with unknown sources certainly could represent low-level endemicity in Singapore. If that is the case, mpox infections will continue to emerge.

Singapore made the viral disease a reportable disease in mid-2022 following a global outbreak when the disease appeared in many countries where it is not endemic, including Europe, the United States and Australia, unlike in Africa where it originated.

Singapore recorded 18 cases in 2022 since reporting of the disease started at the end of June that year.

On July 23, 2022, WHO declared the outbreak of mpox to be a public health emergency of international concern, its highest available alarm. This is the seventh outbreak so designated by WHO since 2005. The one before this was Covid-19.

Although usually mild, mpox can prove fatal for some.

There are two clades, or groups of organisms. According to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, mortality rate for Clade I (from Congo) is 10 per cent, while that for Clade II (from West Africa) is less than 1 per cent.

MOH said all the reported cases in Singapore were Clade II.

The disease can spread through exposure to respiratory droplets or direct physical contact with the blood, body fluid or lesion material from infected individuals or contaminated materials. So it can be transmitted when people talk to each other, or through any form of kissing or sex.

Mpox typically starts with a fever, muscle aches and sore throat, followed by a rash that begins on the face and spreads over the body, extending to the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, and evolves over two to four weeks in stages macules, papules, vesicles, pustules. Lesions dip in the centre before crusting over, WHO said.

The rash can be both itchy and painful. Treatment is usually to alleviate symptoms, as the disease is often self-limiting. Antiviral medication may be used in more serious cases.

According to WHO, complications from mpox can cause serious illness and include pneumonia; corneal infection with loss of vision; pain or difficulty swallowing, vomiting and diarrhoea causing severe dehydration or malnutrition; sepsis (infection of the blood with a widespread inflammatory response in the body); inflammation of the brain, heart, rectum, genital organs or urinary passages; or death.

The MOH spokesman said that anyone who has mpox symptoms should seek medical care early.

He added that the risk of mpox infection to the public remains low, as the predominant route of disease transmission is through close physical contact, including intimate or sexual contact, with an infected person or contaminated materials. - The Straits Times/Asia News Network

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Spate of monkey pox cases in Singapore in the last four months of 2023 - 25 cases confirmed by health ministry - The Star Online

Seven months after the World Health Organization (WHO) downgraded monkey pox from a global threat, an outbreak in Africa could go beyond the continents borders.

After a year in which nearly 90,000 people were infected with monkey pox, and 140 people died, the WHO downgraded the disease in May 2023 from its status as a global health emergency.

Monkey pox, also known as mpox, had spread rapidly in the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic when awareness of public health was at a maximum.

Monkey pox continues to pose significant public health challenges that need a robust, proactive and sustainable response, said WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at the time. And he was right.

By mid-December last year, the WHO was sounding the monkey pox alarm again.

On December 15, the WHO warned that an epidemic of monkey pox in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) could spread internationally, as a rise in sexual transmissions had been detected.

Japans health ministry reported two days earlier on December 13 that the country had seen its first fatality from monkey pox.

The patient had a prior infection with HIV and no travel history, said the health ministry in a statement, and it was not immediately clear how they had become infected.

There are ongoing outbreaks in Asia in Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam and China so, the case neednt have come from Africa.

But Rosamund Lewis, the WHOs technical lead for monkey pox, said the organisation was concerned about further international transmission from the DRC.

There was a rapidly expanding outbreak in the country, she explained, with more than 13,000 suspected cases of the disease more than 1,000 per month and up to or more than 600 deaths so far.

While monkey pox can be transmitted sexually, experts do not describe the disease as a sexually transmitted infection (STI). But sex is one of the main transmission routes.

The WHOs official advice states that monkey pox is spread by close contact with an infected person. That includes talking and breathing near an infected person via droplets as we learned during the COVID pandemic, but also via sexual activity.

(S)kin-to-skin (touching or vaginal/anal sex); mouth-to-mouth (such as kissing); or mouth-to-skin contact (such as oral sex or kissing the skin). During the global outbreak that began in 2022, the virus mostly spread through sexual contact, states the WHO.

It can also spread via cuts, lesions and contact with mucous membranes washing hands after any such contact, and disinfecting surfaces, is essential for preventing the spread of monkey pox.

Monkey pox can also be transmitted from animals to humans, for instance if an infected animal is consumed by a human but the meat is not sufficiently cooked.

There are indications that monkey pox can also spread from humans to animals, such as pets, but the evidence is inconclusive.

Monkey pox is an infectious virus that experts now prefer to call mpox to avoid associations with monkeys or the idea that it does not affect people.

It was first discovered in 1958 among monkeys used for research in a Danish laboratory.

The first reported human case of the disease was in a nine-month-old boy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1970.

A common symptom of the disease is a rash that persists for 2-4 weeks. The rash often a blister or as sores can affect the face, palms of the hands and soles of the feet, and groin, genital and anal regions of the body.

The extent of the rash can range from just a few blisters to thousands, with lesions found in the mouth, throat, rectum and vagina hence, that heightened risk of transmission through sexual activity.

Further symptoms are typical of other viral infections: fever, headache, muscle pain, low energy, and swollen glands.

In severe cases, monkey pox has been linked to secondary bacterial infections, and can spread to the lungs, eyes, brain and heart.

The monkey pox mortality rate lies between 0.1% and 10% of cases.

There is an antiviral medication called tecovirimat SIGA, which is used to treat monkey pox, cowpox and smallpox the latter is an eradicated disease.

The European Medicines Agency Europes drug approval body says the three infections are all caused by viruses that belong to the same family, known as orthopoxviruses.

Tecovirimat interferes with a protein (called VP37) found on the surface of the virus and slows down its ability to spread.

There are three vaccines against monkey pox derived through research into smallpox.

Currently, the WHO does not advise mass vaccination against monkey pox.

It says only people who are at risk should be considered for vaccination and people at risk are those who have close contact with an infected person including, but not limited to, sexual partners and healthcare workers.

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WHO warns monkey pox could spread around the world again - Khmer Times

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Far-right activist jailed for offensive language while claiming gay people caused monkey pox virus in Spain - The Olive Press

Monkey pox, dengue fever and the scourge of covid could all devastate the vulnerable in 2024 according to Dr Maria Van Kerkhove from the World Health Organisation

The World Health Organisation has warned that climate change and sexual transmission could be behind two health threats in the coming year.

Looking ahead to 2024 monkey pox, dengue fever and the scourge of covid could all devastating impacts for the vulnerable. Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, an expert on infectious diseases, who leads the WHO's Department for Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness and Prevention has spoken about the trio of threats.

Speaking to Sky News Dr Van Kerkhove has said the uptake for coronavirus vaccines around the world has been "abysmal" and it is therefore no surprise to her that cases are on the rise once again. She says that targeted vaccine programmes for the elderly and vulnerable around the world, like there is for flu would make a marked difference.

"The vaccination coverage in all countries of the at-risk groups is abysmalfor me, this is the biggest frustration. Covid-19 actually has solutions, influenza has solutions, that can prevent severe disease and death. Why aren't we using them?"

Mosquitoes carrying diseases such as Dengue Fever, which is an infection currently rare in the UK, could be on the move towards the country. According to the the NHS Dengue Fever symptoms include:

Dr Van Kerkhove has warned that by 2040 it could be common in the UK as climate change means mosquitoes are migrating further and further north as our climate gets warmer.

She told Sky: "It really illustrates the challenges because you have the mosquitoes going further north and further south. Countries like Italy are seeing dengue transmission within their borders that they've never experienced before. This is not a theoretical risk into the future. It's happening now and it has to be addressed now."

Mpox is a rare infection most commonly found in west or central Africa. There has recently been an increase in cases in the UK, but the risk of catching it is low, according to the NHS. But Dr Van Kerkhove has warned that the disease is passed on through sexual contact, and is already in "sexual networks".

She said: "We have a huge outbreak which is now in sexual networks. Once this virus gets into sexual networks it can transmit quite efficiently between people."

According to the NHS anyone can get mpox, currently most cases have been in men who are gay, bisexual or have sex with other men, so it's particularly important to be aware of the symptoms if you're in these groups. If you get infected with mpox, it usually takes between 5 and 21 days for the first symptoms to appear.

The first symptoms of mpox include:

A rash usually appears 1 to 5 days after the first symptoms. The rash often begins on the face, then spreads to other parts of the body. This can include the mouth, genitals and anus. You may also have anal pain or bleeding from your bottom.

The rash is sometimes confused with chickenpox. It starts as raised spots, which turn into small blisters filled with fluid. These blisters eventually form scabs which later fall off. The symptoms usually clear up in a few weeks. While you have symptoms, you can pass mpox on to other people.

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Mpox, dengue fever and covid among health threats for 2024, according to experts - The Mirror

Mpox (formerly known as Monkey Pox) cases continue to be reported as we move into the new year and the potential for exposure and future outbreaks are still of serious concern. For your best health status, its important to get both of the now available two-part vaccine doses, check yourself and partners for symptoms; and get screened for STIs.

In a letter dated December 20 to medical colleagues throughout the country, Assistant Surgeon General Jonathan Mermin addressed his concerns about future outbreaks.

I am writing to you today with a reminder that Mpox continues to circulate in the United States. Although case counts are lower than they were last year, severe manifestations, including deaths, continue to occur. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices now recommends persons with potential risk of exposure receive two doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine. Despite this, only one in four of the approximately two million people eligible to receive the vaccine in the United States have received both doses.

Although reported cases have significantly declined since the height of the outbreak in 2022, small clusters are still occurring in the United States. Within the past two months, some health departments have reported an increase in cases among men who report having sexual contact with men. Vaccination remains an important, but underutilized, tool in stopping the spread of [Mpox]. If vaccine coverage in the United States does not increase, we may experience large outbreaks in the future.

It cant be stressed enough, to be fully vaccinated and have the most protection against MPOX, it is imperative you get both doses of the vaccine. The second dose is given four weeks after the first dose, and your protection will be highest two weeks after your second dose.

If it has been more than four weeks since the first dose, the second dose can be administered as soon as possible, and the series does not need to be restarted. If you have received your second dose, there is no need for a third dose at this time.

Healthcare professionals remain on high alert for a new strain of the Mpox virus known as Clade I, which is far more infectious and deadly than Clade II (by ten percent), which manifested in the gay male community at a high rate in 2022). The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is currently experiencing its highest ever outbreak of Mpox as a result of the Clade I variant.

The virus variant is known to be more virulent. If it adapts better to human to human transmission, that presents a risk, said Rosamund Lewis, the chief advisor on Mpox for the World Health Organization (WHO) in an interview with Reuters news service. Lewis also said WHO is very worried the outbreak could spread further potentially beyond the DRC.

Immunization Clinics in the Charlotte area are available to help individuals stay up to date with their vaccines by providing the routinely recommended vaccines for all age groups, as well as specific vaccines for high-risk groups. Mpox immunizations can protect our community from a dangerous infection that can spread quickly.

Among the sites for treatment in the Charlotte area are: the Huntersville Mecklenburg County of Health Department at 2845 Beatties Ford Rd.; the Charlotte Mecklenburg County of Health Department at 249 Billingsley Rd.; the Valerie C. Woodard Community Resource Center at 3205 Freedom Drive; and the Ella B. Scarborough Community Resource Center at 430 Stitt Rd.

For information on making an appointment at any of these locations call 704-336-6500. Hours of availability are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 a.m. 5 p.m. and Wednesday, 10 a.m. 7 p.m.

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Mpox isn't over and a new strain is sounding the alarm - QnotesCarolinas.com - QnotesCarolinas.com

The Ministry of Health announced yesterday the discovery of a man infected with Monkey Pox in Phnom Penh.

The 28-year-old man from Pesey village, Toek Thla commune in Sen Sok district developed symptoms similar to genital warts on November 30 which later spread to the right side of his neck, cheeks, forearms and legs, so he was sent for testing at the National Institute of Public Health on Monday.

The man tested positive for the Monkey Pox virus and was placed in hospital isolation, however, the ministry in a statement did not specify where the man contracted the disease.

The ministry said: The Ministry of Healths emergency response team is now working with authorities to locate the source of the infection, as well as identify other suspected cases to prevent transmission in the community, as well as conduct health education campaigns in the village where the man resides.

Ly Sovann, Director of the Communicable Disease Control Department, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The ministry has advised health workers to implement preventive and control measures in hospitals and health centres to stop further infections, especially to remain vigilant and identify patients suspected of having Monkey Pox symptoms and isolate them.

The virus is transmitted from person to person through sexual contact and direct contact with wounds, body fluids, and contact with or use of a patients belongings.

The ministry added that the virus is also transmitted from mother to child through the umbilical cord during or after birth and through direct contact with infected parents.

As a precautionary measure, the ministry recommends having sex with a condom and avoid multiple partners. Avoid contact with people showing Monkey Pox symptoms, do not share materials with patients and wear a mask if in the vicinity of a person with symptoms. In addition, regularly wash your hands with soap or alcohol.

The ministry also advised individuals suspected or confirmed of having Monkey Pox to be isolated. People showing symptoms should consult a doctor for testing of the virus or call 115 for advice and consultation.

Dr Quach Mengly, a public health expert, expressed concern over the discovery of Monkey Pox in Phnom Penh, noting that the disease is rare in Cambodia.

He said that although there are no reported deaths from Monkey Pox in Cambodia, everyone should still be very careful, especially in preventing the spread of the virus in the community as the virus is transmitted through sexual intercourse, body fluids and direct contact with patients.

He said that in addition to preventing the spread of the virus through hygiene measures, there is also a vaccine.

He said that if there was an outbreak of the disease in the community, the ministry would announce a vaccination campaign against the virus.

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Monkey Pox case identified in PP - Khmer Times

Mpox, formerly known as monkey pox , was first identified in humans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 1970, and until 1986, 95% of mpox cases reported globally came from the central African country. That pattern has changed over the last three decades, with outbreaks cropping up elsewhere in Africa and further afield, and with the viral infection most dramatically bursting its habitual boundaries during the 2022 to 2023 global outbreak.

That global outbreak has pulled focus from mpox-endemic countries, but DRC continues to struggle with a hefty mpox burden.

This year alone, the disease has spread to various provinces, reaching 159 out of 519 health zones in the country. On 25 August 2023, Dr Robert Shongo, Director of the Program for the Fight against Monkeypox and Endemic Viral Fevers, told reporters that the DRC has recorded 6,914 cases of mpox disease including 328 deaths (4.7%) since the start of the year. The most affected provinces have been Equateur, Mai Ndombe, Tshopo, Sankuru, and Maniema provinces, he said.

Behind those figures are communities struggling under a complex social and epidemiological pressure.

Mpox, which causes fevers and scabbing rashes, progressing to death in a minority among severe cases, is a visible and consequently easily stigmatised viral disease.

Local community members and health workers who have witnessed the diseases devastating effects have been psychologically affected. A health worker in Kinshasa who has been hospitalised with the disease explained, The fear of mpox looms over us daily. We've heard stories about people dying across the country and it was emotionally hard to handle.

He continued: The fear and stigma associated with mpox have hindered our efforts. People are hesitant to seek medical attention, and misinformation spreads rapidly.

Meeting the challenges presented by the mpox epidemic in DRC is not easy. For one, the viral infection is just one among several large-scale health emergencies, including recurrent epidemics of measles, yellow fever and other life-threatening illnesses.

Insecurity, health system limitations and logistical constraints limit access to care for the population. The country extends over a vast territory, and its geography imposes challenges to the work of humanitarian and health teams. It sometimes takes several days to reach remote villages in certain regions. While WHO recommends a ratio of 1 doctor per 1,000 people, DRC has only about 0.09 doctors per 1,000 inhabitants.

With limited resources, the system struggles to meet the demands of an escalating crisis. Dr Roy Ndenge, a surveillance agent with the national programme tasked with curtailing mpox, told VaccinesWork, over the phone in October: Hospitals in some of the most affected areas are at capacity due to the presence of other epidemics, and medical professionals are working tirelessly to provide care.

In Kinshasa, where a few cases were reported in August, five mpox patients had been recently released from hospital, Ndenge said. Those cases included three people who had been transferred to hospital in the capital from Maindombe province in August, and two contacts that had fallen sick in Kinshasa.

The response to mpox has evolved over time. Early in 2023, containment efforts were met with logistical challenges, including vaccine distribution and healthcare infrastructure limitations. In the beginning, health staff faced shortages of essential supplies and vaccines. However, current efforts have seen improvements, with international organisations and NGOs stepping in to provide crucial support. Said Dr Ndenge, The assistance from NGOs like Mdecins Sans Frontires (MSF) has been instrumental. We now have better access to supplies, and our teams are more equipped to handle cases.

Dr Thomas Holebanga, Medical Activity Manager at MSFs Congo Emergency Pool (PUC) said before the arrival of MSF teams in August 2023, the health zone of Bolomba in the Equateur province recorded the most cases of illness, and many deaths. That was due in part, he explained, to technical, logistical, financial limitations, as well as to socio-economic factors among the affected communities, including poverty, promiscuity or ignorance of the disease.

Beyond putting in place infection prevention and control measures in health structures, MSF also implemented a home isolation strategy, he said, which allowed patients without complications to be treated in their houses. A hygiene kit was provided to them and their loved ones with advice on the use of these kits in order to cut the chain of transmission.

Regular monitoring of these cases was carried out by MSF teams with the support of community workers. All of these strategies have made it possible to significantly reduce the number of cases and deaths, said Dr Holebanga. From 1,781 cases and 216 deaths reported as of August 2023, the number of cases went to 891 and 4 deaths in October.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) is raising awareness and mobilising resources for the response as part of the One Health approach.

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Fading from global headlines, mpox continues to trouble its 'cradle ... - Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

The MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College London has been redesignated as WHO's Collaborating Centre (CC) for Infectious Disease Modelling.

The Centre's mission is to serve as an international resource and centre of excellence for research and training in epidemiological analysis and modelling of infectious diseases. Building on decades of collaboration with WHO, it undertakes applied collaborative work at global, regional and state levels to support response operations and policy planning against infectious disease threats. The CC will operate under refreshed terms of reference to meet the latest global challenges, following its last objectives set in April 2019.

Over the term of its status as a CC, the Centre will provide rapid analysis of urgent infectious disease problems, notably outbreaks and events of international concern, from parasitic diseases to emerging viral infections, and from chronic infections such as tuberculosis and hepatitis to acute severe respiratory and viral haemorrhagic diseases such as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and Ebola virus disease.

As well as offering technical assistance to WHO infectious disease programmes, it will contribute to WHO information products, coordinate expertise and build capacity in mathematical modelling. The Centre's research among WHO Member States within the European Region has helped to define appropriate health and immunization standards and meet global emerging threats head-on to reduce or negate risks around the world.

"By collaborating with such specialized institutions like the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, we strive to strengthen surveillance and outbreak investigations," explained Dr Nahoko Shindo, Unit Head, Emergency Preparedness, WHO.

"Without fit-for-purpose analysis, surveillance data are just numbers. Modelling results help us to understand the transmission dynamics and impact as well as to develop containment or mitigation strategies in the near term in evolving outbreak situations and over the longer term for eradication planning."

The Centre houses the Vaccine Impact Modelling Consortium (VIMC) and produces estimates of vaccine impact across 12 pathogens in 112 countries. These estimates formed a substantial input to the Immunisation Agenda 2030 impact estimates, specifically Impact Goal indicator 1.1. VIMC collaborates closely with the Immunisation Analysis and Insights Unit within WHO, which serves as a data hub and analytics engine for immunization data and analytics.

"COVID-19 was not the first pandemic. We worked closely prior to and during the 2009 [H1N1] influenza pandemic with Imperial College London. Mathematical/statistical analysis and modelling are crucial and incredibly powerful tools to understand the unfolding situation and for testing the impacts of different interventions -- for example, vaccination, specific antimicrobial agents and public health measures by simulation," said Dr Shindo.

"As a long-standing WHO CC, we have collaborated with colleagues across the organization to support the generation of scientific evidence to guide policy development," added Professor Azra Ghani, Director of the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, Co-Director of the WHO CC and a member of the WHO Malaria Policy Advisory Group.

"Researchers across our WHO CC -- ranging from PhD students to full professors -- have found this engagement both stimulating and fruitful in ensuring that the research we undertake has a meaningful impact on health interventions worldwide."

Based in the WHO European Region, the Centre's impact extends far beyond Europe. During multiple Ebola epidemics in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2018, 2020 and 2021 and in Guinea in 2021, members of the WHO CC provided real-time analytic support both remotely and through researchers deployed to WHO headquarters and in the field.

The Centre rapidly characterised transmissibility and severity levels and projected the potential scale of each epidemic from an early stage, giving regular updates enabling quantitative monitoring and evaluation of progress made in epidemic control. Its work was crucial for funding mobilization and logistical planning. It contributed to evidence considered by WHO in declaring the 2018--19 epidemic in DRC a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

The team at the Centre also served to help combat and control malaria through reducing vector risks and by supporting policy development and the uptake of novel vector-control tools to reduce malaria transmission. The work ranged from comparing the effectiveness of novel types of insecticide-treated net, to supporting national malaria programmes to help optimise their allocation of resources and adopt new tools.

In 2022, the Centre collaborated with WHO Europe to model the mpox (formerly monkey pox) global epidemic, working closely with four country-level teams to disentangle the drivers of the rise and fall in cases, estimate the potential for future outbreaks and quantify how successfully outbreaks can be mitigated through vaccinations. The modelling report produced was submitted to the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee and was considered part of the evidence base in the decision to end the mpox PHEIC.

"Without a doubt, the entire world is a safer place from epidemic and pandemic-prone infections due directly to the outcome of this collaboration between the MRC and WHO. We are proud to foster these types of relationships that can enable informed policy-making, and we are delighted that this relationship will continue to enable the Centre to continue in these critical efforts," said Dr Richard Pebody, Programme Manager for Infectious Hazards, WHO Europe.

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WHO Collaborating Centre highlights the power of modelling for ... - ReliefWeb