WHO warns of new, more dangerous type of smallpox

Risk of a new outbreak

In May 2023, after a significant decline in the number of smallpox cases, the WHO stopped classifying the outbreak as a global health emergency, and the issue virtually disappeared from the news.

Since then, smallpox cases have never stopped occurring around the planet, but they have actually become less frequent than they were at the height of the outbreak.

“However, this calm scenario seems to be changing. The same WHO that lowered the alert level for smallpox in May 2023 published a document showing concern about the risk of a new global outbreak of the disease, but now it is caused by a different subtype of the virus,” said Rico Vasconcelos, an infectious disease specialist and medical researcher at the University of the South Pacific School of Medicine.

However, the WHO's warning is not intended to cause panic, but to highlight the importance of not lowering epidemic surveillance at this time.

the disease

Mpox is a viral zoonotic disease. Transmission to humans can occur through contact with infected wild animals, people with the virus, and contaminated materials. Symptoms generally include rash or skin lesions, swollen lymph nodes (tongues), fever, body aches, headache, chills, and weakness.