Monkeypox: In France, “there is a strong chance that sporadic cases will appear” estimates the Minister of Health Frédéric Valletoux

Des cas “sporadiques” pourraient apparaître en France selon le ministre de la Santé. MAXPPP – Richard Villalon

Ce dimanche 18 août, le ministre de la Santé Frédéric Valletoux estime probable que des cas "sporadiques" de la variole du singe apparaissent en France.

“There is a strong chance that sporadic cases” of the new mpox variant “will appear, and probably soon” in France, estimates the resigning Minister Delegate for Health Frédéric Valletoux, in an interview with the Tribune Dimanche.

Faced with the rapid spread of this new, more lethal strain of the virus, known as clade 1b, the World Health Organization (WHO) triggered its highest level of alert on Wednesday, August 14, and its European branch warned that Europe should experience more imported cases in the“next days”.

“Too early to be certain”

A first case was discovered this Thursday, August 15 in Sweden in a person who had been to Africa, where the epidemic, which started in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), is spreading.

In France, the resigning Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced this Friday, August 16, the placement of the health system in a state of “vigilance maximum", while no cases of clade 1b of mpox, a disease formerly called monkeypox, have yet been reported there.

"Around 150,000 people" have been vaccinated in France over the last three years, following the 2002 clade 2 epidemic wave, but"it is too early to have certainty about the level of effectiveness of vaccines" on the new variant, explained Frédéric Valletoux.

"Reassure the population"

"Today, we have robust stocks which allow a suitable response. We have more than in 2022 and we can order more quickly if necessary", he assured. "We will continue vaccination" which will however remain limited to the "most exposed public" , according to the minister.

Authorities will "notify all people who have traveled to affected areas, at the departure and arrival of each flight", he also indicated. Raising awareness among "publics most exposed to this risk through associations and adapted networks" is planned, but it ;rsquo;acts "a type of epidemic whose mode of diffusion and contamination has nothing to do with Covid. We must therefore reassure the population from this point of view", further believes Frédéric Valletoux.

The spread of the virus occurs through sexual intercourse or closer contact between people than for Covid-19, according to scientists.