There is an outbreak of a new variant of the deadly mpox virus in parts of Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global health emergency. It has called for urgent action to curb the virus. The first instance of the variant was found in Congo on the 1st of June. It has since spread to 13 African nations. On Thursday, Sweden reported a case. A day later, Pakistan confirmed it had a patient. The WHO said there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths this year. On Friday, Europe's Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said more imported cases of mpox were "highly likely". However, it said the chances of local outbreaks in Europe were "very low".

Mpox is primarily transmitted through close skin-to-skin contact with infected people or their contaminated clothes or bedsheets. It can also spread through close proximity to someone who sneezes or coughs. People can also catch it by talking or breathing too close to an infected person. The WHO says mpox is less contagious than Covid-19, which was an airborne virus. Common symptoms of mpox include rash, fever, and muscle aches. The rash develops into hundreds of pus-filled blisters, which may be itchy or painful. There are insufficient supplies of the mpox vaccine in Africa. Most supplies are stockpiled in the West as part of their own emergency preparedness.