Mpox Outbreaks and Preparedness: Key Takeaways for Infection Prevention Teams

BlueDot, an infectious disease surveillance company, recently hosted a webinar discussing the ongoing mpox outbreak, bringing attention to the current state of the outbreak, its spread, and important prevention strategies. To discuss the details of the webinar’s information, Infection Control Today^® (ICT^®) spoke with Andrea Thomas, PhD, DVM, MSc, BSc, director of epidemiology at BlueDot Global, and Mariana Torres Portillo, MD, infectious disease surveillance manager at BlueDot Global.

Why Was the Webinar Held?

Thomas and Torres Portillo explain that mpox, a zoonotic disease, has reemerged as a significant public health concern. BlueDot’s goal in hosting this webinar was to provide valuable insights into the international spread of mpox, identify risk regions, and shed light on the critical gaps in current knowledge surrounding the outbreak. Burundi, for example, has seen a surge in cases, and connectivity between countries remains a concern as it contributes to the virus spreading globally. The team highlighted that reported cases are likely underrepresenting the true scale of the outbreak due to challenges of inaccurate reporting.

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(Adobe Stock 924156809 by Andreas Prott)

“We wanted to give that little bit of perspective, as well as some of our clinical inputs. Discuss major gaps in the knowledge about this current outbreak on Clade 1 and...we wanted to call attention to the potential scale of the outbreak in the affected region, how complex it is, the lack of resources, and the need to get those to the areas that are most affected,” Torres Portillo told ICT. “Because we know that we're all connected globally. And we wanted to also show where that connectivity was in relation to where we've seen cases popping up recently in other countries.”

Key Takeaways for Infection Prevention

The webinar emphasized several important points for infection prevention personnel. Firstly, the outbreak is likely much larger than reported, and many more countries may be affected. Second, there are gaps in researchers' understanding of transmission dynamics, with the current outbreak showing changes in demographics and transmission methods compared to previous outbreaks.

When ICT asked about what the status of mpox is right now, Torres Portillo said,“First of all, that the outbreak is substantially larger than what we know right now, and there might be more affected countries than what is being reported. Second, we need to understand a little bit more about transmissions and epidemic epidemics dynamics right now because there are some differences between what we saw with Clade 2 and with Clade 1. We are seeing a few changes in demographics, with children and women being largely affected, which is very different from what we saw in 2022 in the mpox outbreak."

Torres Portillo continued, "And then this outbreak as well is probably transmitting a lot through intimate and close contact in heterosexual adult networks. [However,] the conditions right now in the DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo] and Burundi are complex. Third--and one of the biggest highlights for key takeaways--is that we are vaccine leaders. We are out of resources, and everyone should be focusing right now and then. We also need a little bit more of research and development to understand and better control what is going right now.” Torres Portillo said.

Preparedness for Future Outbreaks

Health care settings should be proactive in diagnosing mpox by considering travel history, public health updates, and the use of appropriate diagnostic tools, especially as regular PCR tests may not detect the newer Clade of the virus. Effective isolation protocols must include provisions for household members and pets to prevent further transmission. Ongoing education and preparedness remain vital as this outbreak continues to evolve.

Overall, the mpox outbreak is complex and multifaceted, requiring coordinated efforts to control its spread. Infection prevention teams should remain vigilant, continuously update their protocols, and ensure they are well-prepared for potential future outbreaks.

“[T]his is a growing risk, [and] we should expect to see cases from the affected region and prepare for that…forward thinking and planning, but from everything we understand right now, I say we need to continue learning what we did for Clade 2 should be applied to Clade 1," Thomas said. "All the same, precautions that would have been in place for Clade 2 should apply to Clade 1. Full [personal protective equipment] is recommended whenever working with a suspected mpox case. It doesn't matter which Clade. This includes full airborne contact and droplet precaution conditions, and then also thinking about the cleaning.”