The epidemiological notice states that the occurrence of mpox outbreaks, mainly in African countries and with a variant other than the 2022 variant, increases the risk of international spread. In addition to the above, a variant of the so-called clade I is circulating in the African region, which is associated with sustained transmission and cases in a higher age range.
For this reason, WHO urged Member States to remain vigilant against the possibility of the introduction of this variant into other regions of the world, including the Americas and the Caribbean.
In order to detect cases in a timely manner and reduce as much as possible the spread of mpox in national territory, the notice issued by Conave emphasizes strict compliance with epidemiological surveillance actions in accordance with regulations and ensuring timely care for affected people.
Conave resumes the operational definitions of probable, confirmed and ruled out cases, based on WHO recommendations; it also indicates the actions that health personnel in medical care units must take when identifying a probable case.
As of August 3, the Epidemiological Surveillance System has identified 212 probable cases during 2024, of which 49 are confirmed and are distributed across 11 states. The clade II variant is the only one detected in all cases analyzed in Mexico. The new clade 1b variant has not been identified so far.
Our country has a Response Plan for addressing MPOX that includes actions to coordinate the national response; community engagement, empowerment, and participation; diagnosis and epidemiological surveillance; comprehensive care; and risk communication. The plan is updated according to current ESPII requirements and is activated upon epidemiological notification, available at https://t.ly/Cx5nA
Finally, this agency reminds the public that, in case of suspicion and the need to contact a health care unit, the phone line is 5519469772 or the email address is censida@salud.gob.mx.
