No mpox cases have been registered in Malta this year, the health ministry said on Monday while advising those travelling to affected countries to take precautions to avoid contracting the virus.
Health authorities were "closely monitoring any potential cases" and had strengthened surveillance systems to detect and respond to suspected cases of mpox, it said in a statement.
“Early diagnosis is crucial, and the public is being informed about recognising the symptoms,” the ministry said less than a week after the World Health Orgnisation (WHO) declared mpox a global public health emergency.
The virus, formerly called monkeypox, causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions.
The ministry said people living in or travelling to affected countries, and those in close contact with affected communities were at “moderate’ risk of contracting the virus.
Those travelling to the affected countries without close contact with the local community were considered at low risk, it said.
The ministry recommended avoiding close contact with people suffering from a rash resembling those caused by the virus, and to avoid contact with objects and materials used by those diagnosed with mpox.
Rashes caused by mpox usually begin on the face before spreading to elsewhere on the body, and start as a flat sore which develops into an itchy or painful liquid-filled blister, according to the WHO.
The ministry encouraged the public to wash their hands frequently and employ alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
Those with symptoms of the virus or who have had close contact with someone with symptoms are advised to speak to their family doctor about testing and treatment, it added.
What is Mpox?
Formerly called monkeypox, the virus was first discovered in humans in 1970 in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
It is an infectious disease caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact.
In May 2022, mpox infections surged worldwide, mostly affecting gay and bisexual men, due to the clade 2b subclade - a variant of mpox. In response, the WHO declared a public health emergency which lasted from July 2022 to May 2023.
A global public health emergency is the highest alarm level under International Health Regulations, which are legally binding on 196 countries.
Back in 2022, Malta's monkeypox case rate was one of the highest in Europe.
That outbreak, which has now largely subsided, caused some 140 deaths out of around 90,000 cases.
The clade 1b subclade, which has been surging in the DRC since September 2023, causes more severe disease than clade 2b, with a higher fatality rate.
The WHO warned that more Clade 1 mpox cases were likely to be confirmed in Europe soon after Sweden announced the first case outside Africa.
Last week, the Democratic Republic of Congo said the mpox outbreak had killed 548 people there so far this year.