No cases of mpox registered in Malta, ministry says
Health ministry says potential cases are being closely monitored after WHO declared ongoing mpox outbreak a public health emergency
No mpox cases have been registered in Malta this year, the Health Ministry said on Monday, but people travelling to affected countries are encouraged to take precautions to avoid contamination.
In a statement, the Health Ministry said people travelling to affected countries and who are in close contact with affected communities, or are living in the affected countries, is at moderate risk of contracting the virus. Those travelling to the affected countries without close contact with the local community are considered at low risk.
“Malta’s health authorities are closely monitoring any potential cases. Surveillance systems have been strengthened to quickly identify and respond to any suspected cases of mpox. Early diagnosis is crucial, and the public is being informed about recognising the symptoms.”
The ministry recommends avoiding close contact with people who have a rash resembling mpox and to avoid contact with objects and materials used by people with mpox. It also recommended frequently washing one’s hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
Anyone with symptoms of mpox, or who has come in close contact with someone who has the virus, is urged to speak to their family doctor about testing and treatment.
Last week, the World Health Organisation declared an ongoing mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
A global public health emergency is the highest level of alarm under International Health Regulations, which are legally binding on 196 countries.
Previously called monkeypox, the virus was first discovered in humans in 1970 in what is now the DRC.
Mpox is an infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.
The disease causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions.
In May 2022, mpox infections surged worldwide, mostly affecting gay and bisexual men, due to the clade 2b subclade.
The WHO declared a public health emergency which lasted from July 2022 to May 2023. The outbreak, which has now largely subsided, caused some 140 deaths out of around 90,000 cases.
But the new clade 1b subclade, which has been surging in the DRC since September 2023, causes more severe disease than clade 2b. The former also has a higher fatality rate.
A public health emergency has only been declared seven times since 2009 over: H1N1 swine flu, polio virus, Ebola, Zika virus, Ebola again, COVID-19 and mpox.
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