Resurgence of mpox in Australia offers cautionary tale as new strain spreads

Alarming surge in infections threatens to trigger more severe outbreak worldwide

- 

Australia's success in virtually eliminating mpox within six months of an outbreak in 2022 is now being overshadowed by a sudden and alarming resurgence, highlighting the challenges ahead as the world braces itself for a potentially more dangerous strain.

The country went months at a time with no reported cases from the end of 2022 through early 2024, following free vaccinations for at-risk groups, aggressive safesex messaging and heightened public awareness even in March of 2023, when Sydney hosted over 20,000 international visitors for the WorldPride festival.

That entire year, only 26 cases were reported.

Now a new strain of the mpoxcausing monkeypox virus threatens to trigger a more severe global outbreak, including in Australia.

In a dramatic turn, the country saw 179 cases in August alone, more than in the two previous years combined. Nearly 400 have been reported so far in 2024.

Australia has yet to report any cases of the more dangerous clade Ib strain, but the surge in infections from the less severe IIb variant underscores the importance of maintaining high vaccine coverage, even though current shots may not offer complete protection.