BEIJING - The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global health emergency over the outbreak of mpox, marking the second time in two years the virus has triggered such an alert. This follows the detection of a new, rapidly spreading variant of the virus that has moved beyond Africa, with cases recently confirmed in Sweden and Pakistan.

The WHO’s declaration comes amid growing concerns over the spread of mpox, particularly following a significant outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has resulted in 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths since January 2023, primarily among children. The new variant, which has shown the ability to spread more easily through routine close contact, is now raising alarms internationally.

On Thursday, health officials in Sweden confirmed an infection with the new strain of the mpox virus, linking it to the ongoing outbreak in Africa. This marks the first known spread of this variant outside the continent, heightening global concern.

Meanwhile, in Pakistan, the national health ministry confirmed at least one case of mpox in a patient who had returned from a Gulf country. Provincial health authorities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also reported three additional cases detected in travelers arriving from the Middle East. It remains unclear if the confirmed case reported by the central health ministry is among these three.

A health ministry spokesperson stated that sequencing of the confirmed case in Pakistan is underway, and it will only be possible to identify the variant of mpox once the process is complete. "Once that's done, we will be able to say what strain is this," said the spokesperson, Sajid Shah.

Salim Khan, the director general of health services for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, confirmed that the three identified patients are currently in quarantine. However, the whereabouts of one patient, a man from Mardan who had recently returned from Saudi Arabia, remains unknown. Dr. Javed Iqbal, a health officer in the district, expressed concerns after attempts to trace the patient were unsuccessful. "When we visited his home in Mardan, it was locked from outside, and his neighbors told us that the family has left for Dir," Iqbal reported. Efforts to locate the patient in Dir have so far been unsuccessful.

In response to the situation, the national health ministry announced it is conducting contact tracing for the confirmed patient and enhancing surveillance at airports with additional health personnel.

China, in light of the WHO’s declaration, has also stepped up its measures to prevent the spread of mpox within its borders. The country’s customs administration announced on Friday that it will monitor people and goods entering China for mpox over the next six months. "Personnel from countries with monkeypox outbreaks who have been in contact with monkeypox cases or display symptoms ... should take the initiative to declare themselves to Customs," the statement read. It also mandated the sanitization of vehicles, containers, and goods from areas with reported mpox cases.

The WHO’s highest level of alert, known as a "public health emergency of international concern" (PHEIC), is intended to mobilize international cooperation and funding to address the outbreak. The alert follows a similar designation from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention earlier in the week.

Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, has been a longstanding public health issue in parts of Africa since the first recorded human case in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970. However, it gained global attention two years ago when an outbreak occurred, primarily affecting men who have sex with men. The spread of that outbreak was largely controlled through behavior changes, safe sex practices, and vaccination efforts.

Despite this, mpox remains a serious health concern, especially with the emergence of the new variant. The disease, which causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, is generally mild but can be fatal, particularly for children, pregnant women, and individuals with weakened immune systems, such as those with HIV.

The WHO and other global health bodies are now urging for increased medical support and funding to be directed to Congo and neighboring countries to curb the spread of the virus. However, challenges remain, as evidenced by a 2022 WHO appeal for $34 million to combat mpox, which saw little response from donors. Additionally, there is a significant disparity in vaccine availability, with African countries still lacking access to the two shots used during the previous global outbreak.

The current emergency declarations aim to highlight the urgent need for these medical tools to reach those who need them most, particularly in the affected regions of Africa. While mpox is a serious health issue, it is not as easily transmissible as COVID-19, and there are effective tools available to manage the outbreak. The focus now is on ensuring these tools are distributed equitably and efficiently.