Health
With Mpox a public health emergency in Africa, what you must know about increased virus risk
Mpox (formerly monkeypox) has officially been declared a public health emergency by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The African agency reported an increase in the disease throughout the continent and warned that the virus could spread across international borders, The Associated Press reported.
More than 96% of all mpox cases and deaths have taken place in Congo, even though mpox has been detected in 13 African countries.
MPOX DECLARED PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY IN AFRICA AS AUTHORITIES BATTLE MULTIPLE VARIANTS
The Africa CDC confirmed that overall cases are up 160%, and deaths increased by 19% compared to last year, according to AP.
Additionally, Swedish health authorities just announced the first case of the highly infectious mpox as well. “In this case, a person was infected during a stay in the part of Africa where there is a major outbreak of [the more infectious mpox formerly known as monkeypox],” the Public Health Agency of Sweden said on Thursday.
The backs of the hands of a patient with mpox showing a characteristic rash during his recovery phase. (CDC/IMAGE POINT FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Unlike in the 2022 epidemic, when mpox was typically spread through close contact (including sex) between gay and bisexual men, patterns in Africa show that children under 15 years old are making up more than 70% of cases and 85% of deaths in Congo.
Dr. Boghuma Titanji, an infectious diseases expert at Emory University, told AP that it is “unclear” why children are “disproportionately hit” in Congo right now.
She hypothesized that it could be due to children being more susceptible to the virus, overcrowding in social situations or exposure to parents who have mpox.
A new strain
A new form of mpox that can kill up to 10% of people and may spread more easily has also been detected in Congo, AP reported, which has scientists concerned about transmission.
MPOX OUTBREAK THAT IS RAPIDLY SPREADING THROUGH CONGO MAY BE A NEW FORM OF THE DISEASE
This is because, unlike traditional mpox, which causes lesions on the chest, hands and feet, the new strain causes milder symptoms with lesions on genitalia, according to AP, making it harder to spot.
Earlier this month, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus considered declaring mpox a global emergency given the increasing numbers in Africa.
A child affected by mpox sits on his father’s legs while receiving treatment at the center of the International medical NGO Doctors Without Borders in Zomea Kaka, in the Lobaya region in the Central African Republic, on Oct. 18, 2018. (CHARLES BOUESSEL/AFP via Getty Images)
The WHO head decided to convene with independent experts to come to a pending decision.
Meantime, the WHO reported the release of $1.45 million from its emergency fund to support mpox response in Africa.
Congo is reportedly in communication with donors about vaccine donations and has received financial aid from Britain and the U.S., AP reported.
MONKEYPOX: WHAT YOU MUST KNOW ABOUT THE VIRUS – AND HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF
The U.N. health agency said there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in 2024 – already blowing past last year’s numbers.
Kyle Planck, 26, who has recovered from mpox, shows scars from rashes on his skin during an interview in New York on July 19, 2022. (YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
In May 2023, the WHO declared that mpox was no longer an international emergency following the 2022 outbreak, as cases declined by 90% for three consecutive months.
Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and Fox News senior medical analyst, said he credited the vaccine for helping to end that outbreak.
WHO ASKS EXPERTS TO HELP DECIDE IF MPOX OUTBREAK IN AFRICA IS GLOBAL EMERGENCY
“The use of ring vaccination, where those who were close to monkeypox cases are vaccinated, played a role,” he told Fox News Digital last year.
Public education and awareness of risk factors have also been critical, he said.
What is mpox?
Those who contracted the disease two years ago were hit with jarring symptoms.
Siegel told Fox News Digital during the first outbreak that the disease causes a “painful” rash that can lead to scarring.
MONKEYPOX: WHO SAYS NO LONGER GLOBAL HEALTH EMERGENCY
The virus is part of the same family that causes smallpox – but is not related to chickenpox, said the CDC.
Blood samples are drawn from a boy who did not display any sign of mpox, even as his family was contaminated, at a quarantine area of the center of the International medical NGO Doctors Without Borders in Zomea Kaka, in the Lobaya region in the Central African Republic, on Oct. 18, 2018. (CHARLES BOUESSEL/AFP via Getty Images)
Mpox patients often develop a rash that moves through several stages and can develop within one to three days, the agency said.
Symptoms can also include headache, muscle aches, exhaustion, fever, backache, swollen lymph nodes and chills.
Mpox is classified as a “zoonotic disease,” meaning it can be spread between animals and people and can be found in small rodents, monkeys and other mammals living in locations where the virus is endemic.
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To prevent mpox spread, the CDC recommends avoiding close, skin-to-skin contact with people who appear to have a mpox rash or animals that may carry it.
The public should also be aware of preventative measures to avoid contracting the virus through sex, social gatherings or contaminated materials.
A doctor shows a vial of the Jynneos mpox vaccine by Danish vaccine developer Bavarian Nordic in Montpellier, southern France on Aug. 23, 2022. (PASCAL GUYOT/AFP via Getty Images)
People with severely weakened immune systems, children under 1-year-old, people with a history of eczema and people who are pregnant have the highest risk of severe disease, the CDC notes.
A two-dose vaccine, called JYNNEOS, is available for protection against mpox and smallpox.
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The CDC recommends vaccinations against mpox if patients have known or suspected exposure to someone with mpox, had a sexual partner who was diagnosed with mpox in the last two weeks, are men having sex with other men or are individuals in other related, high-risk scenarios.
Fox News Digital’s Melissa Rudy and Sarah Rumph-Whitten, as well as Deirdre Reilly and The Associated Press, contributed to this report.
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Fireworks have been a quintessential part of Fourth of July celebrations across the nation for generations.
But as Independence Day festivities light up the night sky, the colorful displays can also pose serious health risks — especially to the lungs.
Nearly 300 million pounds of fireworks are released into the atmosphere each year in the U.S., according to the American Lung Association. This creates smoke filled with tiny particles, as well as gases like sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, which are “very harmful to our lungs.”
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The smoke from fireworks can also release harmful metals, like aluminum, manganese and cadmium, into the air.
Some illegal fireworks may contain lead, which the association describes as “extremely dangerous” due to its potential to cause lasting health damage.
Attendees watch the Independence Day fireworks display along the National Mall in Washington, D.C. (Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images)
“Inhaling any of these chemicals can irritate the lungs, making it hard to breathe and causing serious health problems, which is why it is important to avoid firework smoke whenever possible,” the group said in a public advisory.
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Air pollution levels increase by an average of 42% on the Fourth of July, according to a 2015 study.
Smoke from fireworks can worsen symptoms and cause flare-ups in those who have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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Fine particle pollution has also been linked to more serious health consequences, including heart attacks, stroke, lung cancer and premature death, according to the American Lung Association.
The organization warned that children, older adults and pregnant women, as well as people with lung and heart disease, are especially vulnerable.
Smoke from fireworks can worsen symptoms and cause flare-ups in those who have asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. (iStock)
Dr. Afif El-Hasan, member of the Lung Association’s board of directors, shared some advice for high-risk fireworks spectators in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Instead of using fireworks at home, El-Hasan recommends watching them from a distance.
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People with asthma who use a rescue inhaler should keep it close at hand in case fireworks trigger wheezing or other symptoms, the expert advised. Wearing a well-fitting N95 mask can also help reduce exposure to fine particles from fireworks smoke and debris.
“If you are familiar with the area and the wind patterns, try to be upwind from the fireworks display and avoid areas where smoke may accumulate,” he said.
An expert recommends watching fireworks from a distance to avoid exposure to air pollution. (iStock)
The expert also recommends attending fireworks events with friends or family, so someone is available to help if a medical emergency arises.
“Make sure you have taken all of your preventative medication before a fireworks show,” El-Hasan advised. “If possible, take a car to the fireworks display. Try to park as close as possible to the event in case you have to get to the car quickly.”
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The expert also recommends drinking water immediately after the show to clear the upper airway. Changing and washing clothes upon returning home can also help to prevent smoke particles from accumulating in the home.
If case of shortness of breath or chest pain, it’s important to seek medical care immediately.
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A study of World Trade Center responders found that PTSD is associated with molecular changes linked to accelerated biological aging and a higher risk of chronic disease.
The study, led by Stony Brook University in New York, could offer new clues to the long-term physical health effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.
The researchers tested blood samples from 393 WTC responders, collected approximately 18 years after the September 11, 2001, attacks, according to a university press release.
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Out of the sampled responders, 232 were diagnosed with PTSD and 161 were not. Between the two groups, 114 proteins and seven metabolites were significantly different.
Firefighter Gerard McGibbon, of Engine 283 in Brownsville, Brooklyn, prays after the World Trade Center buildings collapsed on September 11, 2001. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
In particular, the researchers detected changes in blood markers linked to brain function, immune activity, energy metabolism, protection against cell damage and how cells communicate and repair tissues.
Also reported were signs of accelerated biological aging in multiple organs — including the heart, kidneys, liver and lungs — among responders with PTSD.
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These discoveries could help explain why people with long-term PTSD are at greater risk for chronic conditions such as heart disease, lung disease, cognitive decline and other age-related illnesses.
“This study found that chronic PTSD is associated with long-lasting biological changes throughout the body, affecting multiple organs and biological systems decades after their traumatic exposure,” lead study author Benjamin Luft, director and principal investigator at the Stony Brook WTC Wellness Program, told Fox News Digital.
“Traumatic experiences can produce lasting biological changes that persist for decades.”
The study reinforces the view that PTSD is a “whole-body illness” rather than simply a mental health disorder, he noted.
“Traumatic experiences can produce lasting biological changes that persist for decades,” Luft said. “These changes appear to accelerate aspects of biological aging and may increase the risk of many chronic diseases.”
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Several proteins that are critical for healthy brain function were also altered in those with PTSD, the researchers found.
“Many of these proteins play critical roles in helping brain cells communicate with one another, repair damage and maintain healthy connections that support memory and thinking,” Luft said.
A New York firefighter is pictured amid the rubble of the World Trade Center following the 9/11 attacks in 2001. (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
The study – which was funded in part by the CDC, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and the National Institutes of Health – was published in Nature Communications.
Luft said the findings should be viewed with “cautious optimism.”
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“The research provides compelling evidence that PTSD is associated with long-lasting biological changes throughout the body, including signs of accelerated aging, altered metabolism and changes in proteins involved in brain health,” he said.
“These findings strengthen the growing recognition that PTSD is not simply a mental health disorder, but a condition that can have lasting effects on physical health as well.”
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Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, was not involved in the study but called the results “fascinating.”
“This speaks to the complex reality that PTSD is not an isolated psychiatric event due to emotional trauma alone, but that it is also tied in with physical trauma,” he told Fox News Digital. “The stress is both emotional and physical, and leads directly to immune dysregulation and aging processes.”
“These findings strengthen the growing recognition that PTSD is not simply a mental health disorder, but a condition that can have lasting effects on physical health as well,” the researcher said. (iStock)
“The chronic diseases that resulted from high exposure in the aftermath of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks were conjoined in terms of the impact on physical and emotional well-being, longevity and effects on multiple organ systems, as well as core metabolic and immunological processes,” the doctor added.
Study limitations
There were some limitations to the findings, the researchers noted.
“Because all measurements were taken at one point in time, the research can only show an association — not that PTSD directly caused the changes,” Luft noted.
“We are currently doing studies in these patients examining multiple time points to see whether the changes in specific proteins and metabolites precede clinical changes.”
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Also, because the study was done on a unique population – World Trade Center responders who experienced very specific trauma and environmental exposures – the findings may not apply to everyone with PTSD, “such as combat veterans, survivors of abuse or people who experienced other types of trauma.”
Several proteins that are critical for healthy brain function were also altered in those with PTSD, the researchers found. (iStock)
Women are not well-represented in the study, comprising only 10% of responders.
“Blood tests cannot tell us exactly what is happening inside the brain,” Luft said. “Although many of the altered proteins are related to brain function, blood measurements are only an indirect reflection of processes occurring in the brain.”
Looking ahead
Additional studies are needed to determine whether these blood markers can predict disease progression or treatment response.
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“From a public health and policy perspective, the study reinforces the importance of recognizing PTSD as a chronic medical condition with significant long-term health implications,” Luft said.
“Investing in early diagnosis, comprehensive treatment and long-term follow-up for trauma survivors, including our first responders and veterans, may improve quality of life while reducing the burden of chronic disease.”
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