Peter Liese: At least individual cases to be expected in all European countries, but EU is well prepared / Vaccine for risk groups are already available / Member States should use EU instruments to act in a coordinated manner / Miles away from ‘corona’ scenario, but vigilance and targeted action necessary / Aid for Africa a humanitarian imperative and in our own interest

 “The European Union is well prepared for the outbreak of the new variant of Mpox (formerly ‘monkeypox’) clade I type 2,” said Dr Peter Liese, health spokesperson for the largest political group in the European Parliament (EPP, Christian Democrats), in view of the second official case of Mpox outside Africa. On Thursday evening, it became known that a European who had travelled from Africa to Thailand had been infected with the new variant of Mpox. “Due to the intensive travel activity between the affected African countries and Europe, I expect that there will be at least individual cases in all European countries. Nevertheless, we should all remain calm. Vaccines are already available and the risk groups can be vaccinated at short notice. The European institutions, in particular the Commission's newly created unit ‘HERA’ (European Health Emergency Response Authority), have concluded a contract with the German-Danish vaccine manufacturer Bavarian Nordic for the supply of 2 million vaccine doses in 2022. In addition, vaccine doses worth around 86 million euros are available via the RescEU mechanism. These are supplemented by contracts concluded by the individual member states. In addition to securing vaccine, the European Union has also strengthened the structures in the European ‘health authority’ ECDC and the European Medicines Agency EMA after Corona,” emphasised Liese.

 Liese regretted that the Member States had not yet been prepared to provide a European response to Mpox: “During the corona pandemic, many people were very unsettled by the fact that there were different travel recommendations and different vaccination recommendations depending on the Member State. We should not repeat this. For example, the member states should jointly adjust the vaccination recommendation in good time if it is confirmed that the risk group is significantly larger than during the outbreak of the so-called clade II in 2022.” Liese announced that he requested on behalf of his group for the issue to be placed on the agenda of the European Parliament's Committee on Environment and Health.

 “Overall, we are miles away from a ‘corona’ scenario, It must be clearly stated that, based on everything we know, the risk from Mpox today is much lower than the risk from Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021:

 Mpox are not easily transmissible. No superspreader events are to be expected.

1. The death rate is very likely lower than from the original variant of the coronavirus
2. We not only have a vaccine, but also a certain basic immunity in the population, because Europeans were vaccinated against the so-called cowpox until the 70s and 80s and this vaccination also provides a certain protection against Mpox.

 Cowpox, which have caused millions of deaths in human history, are a good example of the effectiveness of vaccination. Thanks to targeted vaccination campaigns around the world, they are now considered to have been eradicated. So instead of panic, we need vigilance and targeted action. The situation is more serious than the outbreak in 2022, which was clade II. The now widespread clade I is easier to transmit and the risk is not limited to the risk groups at that time, namely men who have sex with men. Transmission is also possible through heterosexual intercourse and other close physical contact. We should be particularly concerned that so many children in Africa are affected. The virus is also significantly more deadly than the 2022 variant,” explained Liese.

 “In European living conditions and thanks to our good medical system, our risk is rather low. The much bigger problem is in Africa. Solidarity with Africa is an absolute imperative of humanity and it is also in our own interests. By providing targeted aid in Africa, we cannot only get the outbreak completely under control, so that the risk in Europe would then also be reduced to almost zero. It is particularly important not to leave these countries alone in geopolitically difficult times. Partnerships to combat the causes of flight and illegal migration are just as important as partnerships in the conflict with Russia, China and other potential conflicts. In addition, we also need raw materials from Africa, for example, and this also speaks in favour of us showing solidarity now. It is important that we don't just think about ourselves and that is why I support the European Union sending over 215,000 doses of vaccine[1] to the affected countries. However, providing the vaccine is by no means enough. The global community must also ensure that the vaccine gets to the people who need it most and that it is administered under the right conditions. Improving medical care in Africa and other developing countries remains a long-term task,” says the doctor, who worked for some time in a developing country.

Contact for questions: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

[1] 175,420 doses of vaccine have been jointly procured by the European Union through the EU4Health programme and 40,000 doses have been donated by the manufacturing company following negotiations with the European Commission.