Turkey‘s Ministry of Health confirmed yesterday that no cases of the new strain of monkeypox (mpox) have been reported in the country so far, explaining that no restrictions or additional prevention measures against the new virus are planned for the time being, despite the health alert issued by the WHO.
‘As of 2024, no cases of mpox – mainly observed on the African continent – have been detected in Turkey,’ the Eurasian country’s health ministry said. ‘Necessary work is being carried out by our ministry, and the developments are being sensitively monitored by our scientific committee and our health system,’ the ministry added in a statement posted on the X social network, Anatolia news agency reported.
The information released by the Ankara authorities coincides with the announcement by the Swedish government confirming the first case of the new variant of monkeypox recorded outside Africa. According to the Swedish Public Health Agency, the detected case corresponds to the same strain of the virus detected in September 2023 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, known as Clade 1B, which has sparked global alarm as it is more contagious and more deadly than those detected so far.
‘A person who sought medical attention (in Stockholm) has been diagnosed with mpox caused by Clade I. It is the first case of Clade I to be diagnosed outside the African continent,’ the Swedish agency said. The infected person is said to have been infected during a recent trip to Africa.
WHO declares global health emergency
The news, which has caused alarm in Sweden as well as other European countries, comes just 24 hours after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global health emergency over monkeypox amid fears that the disease could leave the African continent and spread to other countries, as scientists warn that the virus is mutating and adapting rapidly.
The virus is spread by contact with bodily secretions – including blood and semen – but also by contact with the skin of infected people or with fabric – clothing, bedding, etc. – with which they have been in contact. In infected persons, the virus causes rashes and skin lesions in the form of blisters that are highly contagious until they heal completely. The virus is also transmitted from pregnant women to their unborn child.
According to the WHO, more than 14,000 infections have already been detected this year – 96% in the Democratic Republic of Congo – and 524 deaths in Africa, far higher than in previous strains, confirming experts’ fears about this variant, which appears to be more easily transmitted between humans. This new wave of infections also affects children in particular: 70% of those infected in Africa are under 15 years of age, and 39% are under 5 years of age. It is precisely the youngest children who account for the majority of deaths from the virus (62% of the total).
Monkeypox, now renamed as mpox, was first identified by scientists in 1958 when the first outbreaks of a ‘smallpox-like’ disease were detected in apes. In 2022, it was confirmed that the virus had spread to humans and was transmitted through sexual contact, appearing in more than 70 countries worldwide, including Turkey, where five infections were reported. In early 2024, scientists detected a new, more contagious and deadly strain in a Congolese village, which kills 10% of those infected and – unlike previous strains – causes less visible symptoms and skin lesions, making it more difficult to detect infected people.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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