Pope prays for victims of monkeypox, a “global health emergency”

Pope Francis prayed Sunday for victims of monkeypox, saying the disease is now “a global health emergency.”

“I pray for all those infected, especially the population of the Democratic Republic of Congo, who have suffered so much. I express my closeness to the local churches of the countries most affected by this disease,” he said at the end of the weekly Angelus prayer.

Faced with an increase in cases of mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is also spreading to Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern on August 14, the highest level of alert.

The UN health agency also called for increased production of MPOX vaccines.

“I encourage governments and private industry to share available technology and treatments so that no one lacks appropriate medical care,” said the Argentine Jesuit.

Although MPOX has been known for decades under the name monkeypox, the recent increase in cases is due to a new, more deadly and transmissible variant, called clade 1b.

The mortality rate for clade 1b is 3.6%, according to the WHO.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the virus has killed more than 570 people so far this year.

The first case in Europe was recorded in Sweden on 15 August.

The virus can be transmitted from animals to people, but also between people through close physical contact.