Mpox, the virus previously known as monkeypox is not the new COVID. That is what the World Health Organisation says. But says that the virus is a “public health emergency of international concern”.

India is the latest country to join the list of countries where mpox has been confirmed. One case has been confirmed in Kerala. Now eight countries coming for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting have reported cases of mpox.

Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, the Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand and Uganda have reported cases.

Neighbouring New Zealand has also reported cases.

While it is not COVID, the nation should be ready to take precautionary measures. The tests requested from WHO are yet to arrive in Samoa. This puts us in a situation where currently we are unable to test people to confirm if they are positive for mpox.

Many developed nations including England and New Zealand have started ordering vaccines to build herd immunity. For the vaccine to come to Samoa, it would take an act of generosity from a donor partner. But while we wait, a procedure should be already developed to safeguard the nation from this virus.

No one here is vaccinated against mpox, making everyone vulnerable. The good thing is that mpox is not airborne like COVID. Mpox spreads through touch and it has now been discovered that a variant spreads through sexual contact.

History will show what happens when diseases are introduced in a population that has no protection against them. One event was the outbreak of the influenza pandemic in 1918 introduced to Samoa via infected people onboard the ship, SS Tulane. This caused thousands to die in Samoa.

The measles epidemic caused a nationwide lockdown because of the low vaccination rates.

Prevention is better than cure. This medical cliché is still applicable. The authorities need to be ready. They should be able to isolate people from the eight nations and then test them. The MOH stated earlier that the entry requirement into Samoa from mpox-infected countries would be proof of vaccination.

The health sub-committee should also ask delegates to undergo a mpox test in their home country 48 hours before travelling and conduct another test upon their arrival. All staff at the airport should be equipped with protective gear to reduce the risk of transmission. Staff handling passports and documents should have medical gloves on at all times.

A quarantine facility should be ready. Medical staff must be geared to deal with mpox and proper training should already have been conducted.

Health New Zealand’s acting national clinical director Dr Sharon Sime said mpox was a rare viral infection and the risk of it spreading widely in New Zealand remained low. It would also be the case in Samoa but it is always best to be prepared.

According to WHO, Mpox spreads from person to person mainly through close contact with someone who has mpox, including members of a household. Close contact includes skin-to-skin (such as touching or sex) and mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact (such as kissing), and it can also include being face-to-face with someone who has mpox, such as talking or breathing close to one another, which can generate infectious respiratory particles.

People with multiple sexual partners are at higher risk of acquiring mpox.

People can also contract mpox from contaminated objects such as clothing or linen, through needle injuries in health care, or in community settings such as tattoo parlours.

During pregnancy or birth, the virus may be passed to the baby. Contracting mpox during pregnancy can be dangerous for the fetus or newborn infant and can lead to loss of the pregnancy, stillbirth, death of the newborn, or complications for the parent.

Mpox causes signs and symptoms which usually begin within a week but can start 1–21 days after exposure. Symptoms typically last 2–4 weeks but may last longer in someone with a weakened immune system.

For these reasons above, we urge the authorities to have the best control in place, otherwise, all of Samoa is looking forward to a successful CHOGM.