- Mpox cases are on the rise in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African countries.
- The first case outside Africa was detected in Sweden last week.
- Travelers don’t need to be too concerned yet, but experts recommend getting vaccinated before going to African countries where the virus has been circulating.
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With mpox cases on the move following a surge in cases in Africa, travelers may fear risks to their health.
The disease – formerly monkeypox – has been on the rise in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African countries. The first case outside Africa was detected in Sweden last week.
The type circulating there known as clade I is different from clade II, which has been in the U.S. following a global outbreak in 2022. A new variant, clade Ib, appears to be more transmissible and deadly. The World Health Organization has declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years.
But travelers don’t need to be too concerned yet.
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“I think they ought to note this,” Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert and professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told USA TODAY. “I don’t know that they should be worried about it.”
What is mpox?
Mpox is endemic in parts of Central and West Africa, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“People usually get mpox through…
