The World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a global health emergency for the second time in two years on Wednesday.
This news comes as Toronto Public Health is sounding the alarm on mpox cases in the city, and as Africa sees a surge in cases in Congo, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
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Virologist Jason Kindrachuk said mpox is a disease that has been prevalent in Central and West Africa for about five decades. He added that in many ways it’s similar to smallpox.
“As we got through the eradication of smallpox, mpox picked up in the background,” he said in an interview with CTV Morning Live on Thursday.
“That’s really the consequences of what we’re seeing today is unfortunately what happens when we don’t try and respond in a timely fashion.”
Kindrachuk, who has been …