Are droplets a source of Mpox transmission? What we know so far
If a person with the mpox Virus talks to someone and spits out dropletit could not spread because it is a smaller source of transmission compared to Physical contactthe World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Tuesday.
In a press conference in Geneva, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said, according to the AFP news agency, that Mpox spreads between people mainly through close physical contact, including skin-to-skin contact (such as touching or sex) and mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact (such as kissing).
She said if a person with the virus has lesions, “there is a possibility” of virus spread “by talking closely to someone, breathing on them, being physically close, face to face, but that is a small source.”
Instead, “we see close, physical skin-to-skin contact” as the main route of transmission, she said at a briefing in Geneva.
“When you talk to someone, you spit out droplets,” but “that’s not a very serious form of transmission – and it’s not … airborne or long-distance transmission.”
“More research is needed to fully understand the transmission dynamics,” Harris added.
According to WHO, the virus spread primarily through sexual contact during the global outbreak that began in 2022. More research is needed on how Mpox spreads during outbreaks in different settings and conditions.
The virus can also be transmitted during pregnancy to the fetus, during or after birth through skin contact, or through close contact from a parent infected with MPOX to an infant or child.
What are the different groups of viruses and what differences arise in their effects?
Harris says more research is needed. The team is currently studying two subtypes of Mpox: Clade 1, endemic to the Congo Basin in Central Africa, and Clade 2, endemic to West Africa.
There is currently an increase in MPOX cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is attributed to two different clade 1 strains.
In the northwest, an outbreak of the previously identified Clade 1, now called Clade 1a, occurs.
At the same time, since September last year, a new variant of Clade 1, called Clade 1b, has emerged in the northeast of the country and is spreading rapidly.
The WHO’s decision to declare the highest emergency alert level was mainly influenced by the rapid spread of the Clade 1b virus and its detection in neighboring countries.
When asked whether Clade 1b is more dangerous than Clade 1a, Harris said: “We don’t have any data on that.”
“Studies are ongoing to understand the characteristics of the new strain. But the available epidemiological data do not really suggest that the clade 1b variant causes more severe cases and deaths.”
In a press conference in Geneva, WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris said, according to the AFP news agency, that Mpox spreads between people mainly through close physical contact, including skin-to-skin contact (such as touching or sex) and mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact (such as kissing).
She said if a person with the virus has lesions, “there is a possibility” of virus spread “by talking closely to someone, breathing on them, being physically close, face to face, but that is a small source.”
Instead, “we see close, physical skin-to-skin contact” as the main route of transmission, she said at a briefing in Geneva.
“When you talk to someone, you spit out droplets,” but “that’s not a very serious form of transmission – and it’s not … airborne or long-distance transmission.”
“More research is needed to fully understand the transmission dynamics,” Harris added.
According to WHO, the virus spread primarily through sexual contact during the global outbreak that began in 2022. More research is needed on how Mpox spreads during outbreaks in different settings and conditions.
The virus can also be transmitted during pregnancy to the fetus, during or after birth through skin contact, or through close contact from a parent infected with MPOX to an infant or child.
What are the different groups of viruses and what differences arise in their effects?
Harris says more research is needed. The team is currently studying two subtypes of Mpox: Clade 1, endemic to the Congo Basin in Central Africa, and Clade 2, endemic to West Africa.
There is currently an increase in MPOX cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is attributed to two different clade 1 strains.
In the northwest, an outbreak of the previously identified Clade 1, now called Clade 1a, occurs.
At the same time, since September last year, a new variant of Clade 1, called Clade 1b, has emerged in the northeast of the country and is spreading rapidly.
The WHO’s decision to declare the highest emergency alert level was mainly influenced by the rapid spread of the Clade 1b virus and its detection in neighboring countries.
When asked whether Clade 1b is more dangerous than Clade 1a, Harris said: “We don’t have any data on that.”
“Studies are ongoing to understand the characteristics of the new strain. But the available epidemiological data do not really suggest that the clade 1b variant causes more severe cases and deaths.”
