new variant in Germany, India, Sweden, Thailand and UK; there are no cases in America

From May 2022 to epidemiological week (EW) 40 of 2024, there were 65,876 confirmed cases of mpox clade II (less aggressive), including 150 deaths, in 31 countries and territories of the Americas.

According to PAHO and the United Kingdom Health Agency.

The largest proportion of confirmed cases of MPOX from May 2022 to October 2024 occurred in the United States.

He clade Ib from monkeypox (smallpox) what was reported in Democratic Republic of Congo, of which cases were identified in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, and what is connected with the WHO Director General’s statement about Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), conducted on 14 August 2024, was identified in confirmed cases outside the WHO African Region in Germany (n=1 case), India (1 case), Sweden (1 case) and Thailand (1 case), reported Pan American Health Organization (OPS).

UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) said it had identified one confirmed human case of infection clade Ib mpox. “The risk to the UK population remains low,” he said.

“This is the first discovery of this mpox clade in the UK. “It is distinct from clade II mpox, which has been circulating at low levels in the UK since 2022, mainly among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM).”

PAHO reports that genomic surveillance has identified clade IIb in all analyzed cases mpox, which remains the only clade found to date in Americas Region, that is, the least aggressive.

World situation

Globally from January 2022 to September 30, 2024. 109,699 confirmed cases of MPOXincluding 273 deaths, in 123 Member States of the six World Health Organization (WHO) regions.

In September 2024 The number of new cases reported monthly increased by 8% compared to August..

Most of the cases reported in September were reported in African region (63.6%) and Americas region (15.5%)

Americas Region

From May 2022 to the 40th epidemiological week (EW) of 2024. 65,876 confirmed cases of MPOX, including 150 deaths in 31 countries and territories Region of America. There were a total of 57,697 cases and 120 deaths reported in 2022, 3,966 cases and 24 deaths in 2023, and 4,213 cases and six deaths in 2024.

Since the last PAHO/WHO epidemiological report on 10 September 2024, 1207 additional cases have been reported in the Region.

The largest proportion of confirmed smallpox cases from May 2022 to October 2024 corresponds to United States of America (n= 34,067 cases, including 63 deaths), followed by Brazil (n= 12,724 cases, including 16 deaths), Colombia (n= 4269 cases), Mexico (n= 4178 cases, including 35 deaths) and Peru (n= 3948 cases, including 23 deaths).

Of the 61,093 MPox cases reported between May 2022 and October 2024, with sex and age information available, in the Region of the Americas 96% correspond to mens (n= 58,565 cases) and 39% of cases belong to the group between from 30 to 39 years old (n= 24,148 cases), the median was age 33 years, with an age range from 0 to 95 years.

In addition, 750 confirmed cases have been registered in the republic. up to 18 years old in 16 countries in the Region (1.1% of cases). Of the 20,515 cases for which information on sexual practices was available, 72% self-identified as men having sex with men (MSM). Of the 22,406 cases for which human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) serostatus information is available, 59% were among people living with HIV.

Situation in the Americas region in 2024

In 2024 Americas RegionA total of 4,213 confirmed cases of MPOX have been reported in 14 countries, including six deaths: Argentina (n= 78 cases), Bolivia (n= 1 case), Brazil (n= 1225 cases), Canada (n= 251 cases), Chile (n= 10 cases), Colombia (n= 121 cases), Costa Rica (n= 1 case), Ecuador (n= 7 cases), USA (n= 2317 cases, including three deaths), Guatemala (n= 1 case), Mexico (n= 99 cases, including one death), Panama (n=5 cases), Peru (n=89 cases, including two deaths) and Dominican Republic (n= 8 cases).

In 2024, of the 3,767 MOC cases for which information on gender and agein the Region of the Americas, where 96% of cases are male (3,622 cases), similar to cases reported in 2022–2023, and 46% of cases are in the 30 to 39 age group (1,722 cases), which is average age 34 years, with an age range from 0 to 81 years (9–17, 19).

In addition, they record 28 confirmed cases in children under 18 years of age in five countries in the Region (0.6% of cases) (9–17, 19). Of the 709 cases for which information on sexual practices was available, 75% self-identified as MSM. Of the 1257 cases for which information on HIV status is available, 50% were of people living with HIV (19).

Stay vigilant

Although not a single case of mpox belonging to the new variant of clade Ib, in Americas Region, PAHO warns that the risk of importation cannot be ruled out and health authorities are directed to continue surveillance to characterize the situation and respond quickly if a variant of the virus (MPXV) is introduced.

In May 2022 PAHO Technical Advisory Group on Vaccine-Preventable Diseases recommended that vaccination be offered only to individuals in close contact with a confirmed case of smallpox, only to high-risk individuals. In this case, the vaccine should ideally be administered within four days of exposure.

See “Epidemiological overview of Mpox in the PAHO Region of the Americas” with recommendations for public health authorities:

According to PAHO and the United Kingdom Health Agency.