Will Mpox Cause Another Pandemic, Lockdown? Doctors Explain

While that’s still the case, the WHO declared mpox to be a global health emergency after cases of the viral infection jumped in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and several other African countries.

So, why won’t mpox become the next global pandemic? Here’s what you need to know, according to an infectious disease doctor.

Meet the expert: Thomas Russo, MD, professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York.

What is mpox and why is it a global health emergency?

Mpox is a disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It causes similar symptoms to smallpox, but they tend to be less severe, per the WHO.

Mpox was practically unheard of in the United States before 2022, but the outbreak that happened in the country two years ago led to thousands of cases here. Since then, mpox has circulated in very low levels in the U.S. (around six to seven cases a day), according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

While mpox is pretty rare in the U.S., it’s more common in central and west Africa, per the WHO. Two clades (types) of mpox have emerged: clade I and clade II. Clade II is the type responsible for the 2022 outbreak, but it tends to cause less severe illness than clade I, which is the type behind the current outbreak in Africa.

As for why the WHO declared a global health emergency, it’s to limit the spread beyond Africa and help those currently infected on the continent.

“The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighboring countries are very worrying,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, in a statement. “On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it’s clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives.”

Currently, this is “an opportunity to curtail the spread of this disease to continents outside of Africa,” Thomas Russo, MD, professor and chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalo in New York, tells Women’s Health. As of now, there’s just been one reported case in Sweden, and public health officials are hoping to keep it that way.

“Certainly, if we pool our resources as a world to help countries that are overwhelmed with these cases, it will hopefully curtail the spread,” Russo says.

Will mpox turn into another pandemic?

Russo is not concerned with this turning into another COVID-19-style pandemic. “Mpox is not as readily transmissible as agents capable of causing a pandemic,” he says.

Mpox is usually transmitted through close contact, including skin-to-skin contact and sexual contact, he points out. In the U.S., those at high risk of mpox have been identified as men who have sex with men; some people in this group were already vaccinated against mpox during the 2022 outbreak, which also helps limit the spread, Russo says.

Will it cause another lockdown?

Russo does not expect mpox to cause another lockdown. While there is some data to suggest that mpox can be airborne, “it’s certainly not the main driver of spread,” Russo says.

Overall, Russo recommends that people not panic over mpox just yet. “The world is still suffering from post-traumatic COVID pandemic syndrome,” he adds.

Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.