Mpox

What is Mpox?

The Mpox (previously known as monkeypox) viral infection is a disease caused by a virus in the smallpox family. Before 2022, this virus was very rare outside of Central Africa and West Africa. It started out as a zoonosis, a disease transmitted from animals – often rodents – to humans, but over time, inter-human transmission has become more common.

Since spring 2022, a variant of the Mpox virus – known as the clade IIb strain – has been behind an epidemic outside of Africa, affecting all regions of the world, including Europe and Luxembourg. The vast majority of cases have been detected in men who have sex with men. The virus primarily spreads from person to person during sexual and/or intimate contact with an infected person. Since 2022, over 22,000 Mpox cases have been reported in Europe, including 61 cases in Luxembourg. The cases reported in Europe and Luxembourg tend to be benign, and have a very low associated mortality rate (0.05 %).

An up-to-date summary of the Mpox cases detected in Europe and in Luxembourg can be found here:

Joint ECDC-WHO Regional Office for Europe Monkeypox Surveillance Bulletin (europa.eu)

In 2024, the Democratic Republic of Congo reported a significant outbreak of infections caused by the clade I variant of the Mpox virus (which was more virulent in the past), with tens of thousands of cases and hundreds of deaths. In response to this crisis, Africa CDC (Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention) and the WHO (World Health Organization) declared an emergency in August 2024 to mobilise resources, improve surveillance and bolster response capacities, including vaccination.

An up-to-date summary of the Mpox cases detected in Africa can be found here:
2022-24 Mpox (Monkeypox) Outbreak: Global Trends

How is the virus transmitted?

Symptoms

The disease often starts with a fever, muscular pain, fatigue and swollen lymph nodes. Skin eruptions (pustules and small pus-filled blisters) appear after 1 to 3 days, often on the part of the body where the virus was introduced (peri-anal region, penis, mouth, face and other body parts). Sometimes, the skin eruptions are not very pronounced or specific, and can go unnoticed. Contamination mainly occurs through direct contact with the pustules or lesions, which contain a high concentration of the virus.

Why should I get vaccinated against Mpox?

The course of the disease is generally benign, and it usually clears up on its own, in the vast majority of cases, without specific treatment. Recently, there have been some more severe, sometimes fatal, cases, but these severe forms are still very rare. Individuals who have contracted Mpox usually get better within 2 to 4 weeks. However, complications such as secondary bacterial infections, eye damage or damage to the central nervous system have been described. Vaccination is therefore important, not only to protect yourself, but also to protect those around you, and to try to stop the epidemic from spreading.

Information and awareness campaign

In Luxembourg, a targeted vaccination campaign is organised by the National Infectious Diseases Service (Service national des maladies infectieuses - SNMI) at the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, in collaboration with the Health Directorate (Direction de la santé). The vaccination is intended for people with the highest risk of getting infected according to the latest recommendations published by the Infectious Diseases Surveillance Committee (Comité de surveillance des maladies infectieuses).