Q&A: What do I need to know about the mpox health emergency?

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Last week, the World Health Organization declared that the fast-surging mpox outbreak in Africa is a global public-health emergency, with the virus increasingly jeopardizing the lives of children and posing a threat of spreading to other regions of the world.

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, causes lesions and flu-like symptoms, and is usually mild. But the new variant is triggering more severe illness, and the fatality rate this year has increased to between 3 and 4 per cent. While the virus is largely spread through skin-to-skin contact, it can also be transmitted by airborne contact or contaminated clothing, bedding and cooking utensils.

The Public Health Agency of Canada said the risk of the virus spreading in this country is low, but the government is “closely monitoring” the situation in Africa.

The WHO says it’s working with its partners around the world to prevent any failures in access to treatment such as those made during the COVID-19 pandemic, and other countries are reporting new mpox cases outside of Africa.

On Aug. 21 at 11 a.m. ET, The Globe’s health columnist André Picard answered your questions on the mpox virus and the global health emergency, to help shed some light on the evolving situation. A staff writer since 1987, Picard is a past winner of the prestigious Michener Award for meritorious public-service journalism, and was named Canada’s first Public Health Hero by the Canadian Public Health Association. He recently wrote an op-ed on whether the recent mpox outbreak more closely resembles the explosive spread of COVID-19, or the slow burn of the AIDS pandemic.

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