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Union calls on employers to prepare for new strain of mpox

By Kerry Reals on 20 August 2024

UNISON is urging employers in the UK to ensure measures are in place to protect workers from mpox, following the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) declaration earlier this month that the virus is a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on 14 August that the emergence and spread of a new strain of mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR) and other African countries raised the risk that the disease could spread internationally.

There are currently no reported cases of the new strain of mpox in the UK, according to the UKHSA. Photograph: iStock/BlackJack3D

“The current upsurge of mpox in parts of Africa, along with the spread of a new sexually transmissible strain of the monkeypox virus, is an emergency, not only for Africa, but for the entire globe,” said WHO committee chair, Professor Dimie Ogoina. “Mpox, originating in Africa, was neglected there, and later caused a global outbreak in 2022. It is time to act decisively to prevent history from repeating itself."

The PHEIC for that global outbreak was declared over in May 2023 after a sustained decline in global cases, but there are concerns the new strain could lead to another international outbreak.

The UNISON union has called on UK employers to ensure that actions put in place to protect workers and the public in 2022 remain in place in case the virus spreads again. It wants to see guidance and support for workers, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and sick pay to cover workers who contract the virus.

There are no reported cases of the new Clade 1b strain of mpox in the UK, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).

“The risk to the UK population is currently considered low,” said UKHSA deputy director Dr Meera Chand. “However, planning is underway to prepare for any cases that we might see in the UK. This includes ensuring that clinicians are aware and able to recognise cases promptly, that rapid testing is available, and that protocols are developed for the safe clinical care of people who have the infection and the prevention of onward transmission.”

Common symptoms of mpox, according to the UKHSA, include a skin rash or pus-filled lesions which can last for between two and four weeks. It also can cause fever, headaches, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes. The infection can be passed on through contact with someone who has the infection or with infected animals.