EU Member States must provide joint travel recommendations for affected regions and further develop unified vaccination recommendations

Concerns far removed from a Corona-like scenario / Alarming rate of child fatalities in Africa / Solidarity with affected countries

"The EU member states should provide a coordinated response to the outbreak of the new Clade Ib variant of the Mpox virus in Africa and other parts of the world," stated the health policy spokesperson for the largest group in the European Parliament (EPP-Christian Democrats), Dr. Peter Liese, ahead of a discussion by the Committee on the Environment, Public Health, and Food Safety in the European Parliament on Wednesday.

Prompted by the EPP Group, the European Commission, the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) responsible for vaccine procurement, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) will address questions from the Members of Parliament. The meeting is set for Wednesday morning at about 09:30. "Although two Europeans¹ have now been affected, we must remain composed and not overreact. There is no indication that Mpox will affect nearly as many people in Europe or cause as many deaths as COVID-19. The hygienic conditions in Europe are much better than in the affected region of Africa, so the risk of infection is much lower. Furthermore, medical care seems to play an extremely significant role in determining whether an affected patient survives. In a clinical trial for a relevant medication, it was found, that survival rates drastically increased with treatment. However, even those who received a placebo survived much more frequently, simply because they received proper medical care by being included in the clinical trial²," Liese said.

"Nevertheless, we must be prepared. While the European Commission has already secured vaccines through HERA and the rescEU mechanism, as well as through joint tenders, there is still a need for action in other areas. Regrettably, member states often delay necessary discussions. Sweden, after identifying an infected individual, has already issued travel recommendations for the region, but other member states have not yet done so. In densely populated Central Europe, travel is not limited to a single national airport to Africa; hence, unified recommendations are logical. At the same time, vaccination recommendations must be further developed together. So far, there are only recommendations for vaccination from 2022. Since then, the virus has evolved, and the risk groups have expanded. The particularly high number of children who have died from the virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring African countries must concern us," said the physician and Member of the European Parliament.

"I strongly welcome the European Union's decision a few weeks ago to provide vaccines for the affected people in Africa. This measure helps protect the health of Europeans, as experts suggest that targeted vaccinations could completely stop the outbreak in Africa and thereby reduce the risk in Europe to virtually zero. However, it is above all a humanitarian duty, and it is important not to abandon the affected countries. We must show solidarity because we will need the solidarity of these countries in geopolitical matters and their resources in the future," Liese.

¹A returning traveller in Sweden and a European who was diagnosed with the virus in Thailand after a trip to Africa.
²https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/antiviral-tecovirimat-safe-did-not-improve-clade-i-mpox-resolution-democratic-republic-congo