Mpox is a global emergency and my research indicates that it is a zoonosis (zoonotic disease) which means it can be transferred between animals and people (and vice versa) and further, it seems entirely possible that pets can carry the disease. The point here is that it seems possible that domestic cats can transfer the disease to their caregiver after they have contracted it from another animal.
That’s the point I want to make. To be honest, as mpox is a zoonosis then it is entirely plausible that cats and dogs can get the disease. Not all animals have a rash when they get it. But they can spread it to people as mentioned. Or it is possible that people who are infected can give the disease to their pets. Don’t forget that a zoonosis works both ways.
More: Is this new Chinese respiratory disease affecting children serious and zoonotic?
I think this is worrying perhaps not in the West or northern Europe but in Africa where outbreaks of mpox have been declared a global emergency by the World Health Organisation.
There have been more than 14,000 cases reported and 524 people have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2024.
Cases have already exceeded last year’s total in 12 African countries according to a WHO media briefing.
“Today the emergency committee met and advised me [Director-General] that in its view, the situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice.”
This is the highest level of alert and it is issued to encourage rapid research funding and international public health measures and international cooperation to contain the disease.
The Director-General added that:
“The detection and rapid spread of a new clade of mpox in eastern Congo, its detection in neighbouring countries that had not previously reported mpox, and the potential for further spread within Africa and beyond is very worrying.”
‘Mpox’ is a shortened version of ‘monkeypox’. It is spread through close contact. It can be fatal in rare cases but the symptoms are usually mild. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body. Another source says that the symptoms include a high temperature, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen glands, exhaustion, joint pain and a rash.
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention announced the disease as a public health emergency.
The reports are that more than 96% of cases and deaths have occurred in the DRC and most of the fatalities concerned children. This outbreak began with the spread of an endemic strain known as clade 1.
Clade Ib, a new variant, seems to spread more easily via routine close contact which includes sexual contact.
Is mpox present in Europe?
My research indicates that it is. It’s been reported in various European countries. There was an outbreak in 2022 which led to an increased awareness and public health measures.
Is mpox present in America?
Yes, it has been reported in various parts of the Americas including United States and several countries in South America. Once again the outbreak began in 2022 which raised awareness of the disease.
Is mpox present in Asia?
The answer here, again, is yes as cases have been reported in some countries in Asia. The numbers are generally lower compared to regions like Europe and the Americas but there is ongoing monitoring.
Sources: The Times, Bing search engine, and AI for general research about the disease’s presence in other parts of the world.
Update
The Evening Standard tells me that the first case of the more contagious mpox has been found in Europe. This is the clade 1 and the person in Europe became infected during a stay in an area of Africa where there is a current major outbreak of mpox clade 1. In the UK, health officials have said that they are preparing for any potential cases of the new strain. Currently there are no infections. The risk to the UK population is currently considered to be low. But they are planning to prepare for any cases that might occur.
According to UKHSA, there were 3732 confirmed and highly probable mpox cases reported in the UK up to December 31, 2022. In 2023 and up to July 31 this year there were reportedly 286 cases. Of these 116 patients were presumed to have caught the virus in the UK while 82 caught the virus outside of the country.
