The WHO weekly bulletin update on monkeypox (MPX) has Sankuru, Tshopo, Maniema, Tshuapa and Sud-Ubangi as the provinces with most cases this year. Nationally, more than 2,200 suspected cases had been reported to July 28. The same publication has more data on Congo Basin and West African clades of MPX in other endemic countries. Lastly, officials from the WHO provided more background on monkeypox in Africa, with confirmation that transmission of the virus in the region primarily occurs through household transmission and around 40 percent of cases are in women. Read more
Advice for travellers
Closely related to the smallpox virus, monkeypox has its origins in Central and Western Africa. Rodents are the suspected reservoir, with monkeys and humans as secondary or ‘spill-over’ hosts. People travelling in endemic countries can be infected by eating undercooked ‘bushmeat’ or handling infected animals, making infection a low risk in those regions. More recently, monkeypox has spread person-to-person around the globe, primarily through large respiratory droplets, but also via direct contact with skin lesions or body fluids (i.e. close or intimate contact) and indirect contact by way of contaminated bedding, clothes etc. Read more from the WHO on the current outbreaks of monkeypox.
Before you travel, call Travelvax Australia’s telephone advisory service on 1300 360 164 (toll-free from landlines) for country-specific advice and information. You can also make an appointment at your nearest Travelvax clinic to obtain vaccinations, medication to prevent or treat illness, and accessories for your journey.