Mpox patients at Goma hospital, the Democratic Republic of Congo on August 16, 2024 (Photo: Getty Images/Vietnam News Agency)

Kluge said mpox, whether the old or the new strain, is not comparable to COVID-19 because its spread is controllable. The way countries respond to the epidemics now and in coming years will prove a critical test for Europe and the world, said the WHO official.

The WHO declared mpox a global public health emergency on August 14 due to the upsurge of cases in African countries.

The current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring countries began with the spread of an endemic strain known as clade I. But a new variant, clade Ib, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact.

A case of Clade Ib was confirmed in Sweden last week, the first case of mpox’s new variant outside of Africa.