2022–2023 mpox outbreak in colombia 2022–2023 mpox outbreak in colombia the 2022–2023 mpox outbreak in colombia is a part of the outbreak of human mpox caused by the west african clade of the monkeypox virus. the outbreak reached colombia on 23 june 2022. 2022–2023 mpox outbreak in colombiaconfirmed and suspected cases by department. diseasempoxvirus strainmonkeypox virus(west african clade)locationcolombiaindex casebogotáarrival datejune 23, 2022 (2022-06-23)–present (10 months, 2 weeks and 3 days)dateas of 15 august 2022confirmed cases938recovered41government websitenational health institute page (in spanish) background these paragraphs are an excerpt from mpox and 2022–2023 mpox outbreak. mpox (pronounced /ˈɛmpɒks/ em-poks, formerly known as monkeypox) is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and some other animals. symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over, fever, and swollen lymph nodes. the time from exposure to onset of symptoms ranges from five to twenty-one days and symptoms typically last from two to four weeks. there may be mild symptoms, and it may occur without any symptoms being apparent. cases may be severe, especially in children, pregnant women or people with suppressed immune systems. the disease is caused by the monkeypox virus, a zoonotic virus in the genus orthopoxvirus. the variola virus, the causative agent of smallpox, is also in this genus. it may spread from infected animals by handling infected meat or via bites or scratches. human-to-human transmission can occur through exposure to infected body fluids or contaminated objects, by small droplets, and possibly through the airborne route. people can spread the virus from the onset of symptoms until all the lesions have scabbed and fallen off; with some evidence of spread for more than a week after lesions have crusted. diagnosis can be confirmed by testing a lesion for the virus's dna. there is no known cure. a study in 1988 found that the smallpox vaccine was around 85% protective in preventing infection in close contacts and in lessening the severity of the disease. a newer smallpox and mpox vaccine based on modified vaccinia ankara has been approved, but with limited availability. other measures include regular hand washing and avoiding sick people and animals. antiviral drugs, cidofovir and tecovirimat, vaccinia immune globulin and the smallpox vaccine may be used during outbreaks. the illness is usually mild and most of those infected will recover within a few weeks without treatment. estimates of the risk of death vary from 1% to 10%, although few deaths as a consequence of mpox have been recorded since 2017. an outbreak of mpox, a viral disease then commonly known as "monkeypox", was confirmed in may 2022. the initial cluster of cases was found in the united kingdom, where the first case was detected in london on 6 may 2022 in a patient with a recent travel history from nigeria (where the disease is endemic). on 16 may, the uk health security agency (ukhsa) confirmed four new cases with no link to travel to a country where mpox is endemic. all four cases appeared to have been infected in london. from 18 may 2022 until may 2023, cases were reported from several countries and regions, predominantly in europe and in the americas but also in asia, in africa, and in oceania. the outbreak marked the first time mpox had spread widely outside central and west africa. on 23 july, the director-general of the world health organization (who), tedros adhanom ghebreyesus, declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (pheic). as of 18 march 2023, there had been a total of 86,516 confirmed cases in over 113 countries.in may 2023, the world health organization declared an end to the global health emergency declared in response to the worldwide outbreak of mpox virus. history may 2022 as of may, the colombian ministry of health was taking follow-up and control measures. the director of epidemiology and demography of the ministry of health, claudia cuellar, informed the colombian population about how mpox is spread through people, and she spoke about the clinical presentation of the virus and international health regulations. health authorities in the department of norte de santander have been on alert, since the department is a border area where people pass between colombia and venezuela. june 2022 on june 23, 2022, the colombian ministry of health confirmed three cases of mpox, specifically two in the city of bogotá and one in medellín. the two cases reported in bogota were of people who had traveled to europe. the first case identified in medellin was a person who had been infected while traveling to the european city of barcelona in spain. july 2022 on july 8, the national institute of health confirmed a new case of the disease in bogota from a person who had been in contact with an infected person from italy when they had traveled to europe. on july 23, following the follow-up of several cases, health authorities began an extensive surveillance phase. on the same day, the national institute of health confirmed that the number of cases in the country reached 10. on july 25, the first case of a person who had been in argentina was reported in the department of cundinamarca, specifically in the municipality of cajicá. on july 29, the first case was detected in pereira, capital of the department of risaralda. on july 30, the national institute of health confirmed the first case in the department of valle del cauca, specifically in the city of cartago located in the north of the department. august 2022 on august 1, the mayor's office of cali city opened a hotline to receive information when a person reports suspected cases of this disease. on august 3, the first case was confirmed in the department of la guajira of a man who had traveled to bogotá. the case was detected in the municipality of albania, which is located in the center of the department. after the first case was detected in la guajira, health authorities in the neighboring department of cesar increased their alert. the department's health secretary, guillermo girón, indicated that prevention measures should be increased due to the proximity to la guajira. on august 4, the first case was confirmed in the city of bucaramanga, capital of the department of santander. on the same day, the first case was registered in the department of tolima, specifically in the capital city of ibagué, of a person who had traveled to the united states. on august 5, the first case was confirmed in the capital of the department of bolívar, cartagena. on august 11, the first case of this disease was detected in popayán, capital of the cauca department. on august 12, the first case of mpox in riohacha, capital of la guajira, was confirmed. on august 15, the first case was confirmed in the city of cúcuta, capital of the department of norte de santander, in a man who had traveled to mexico and the united states. on the same day, the first case was reported in barranquilla, capital city of the atlántico department. on august 16, the first case was reported in cali, capital city of the valle del cauca department. on august 17, the first case was confirmed in the capital of the department of quindío, armenia. on august 20, the first case was reported in the city of villavicencio, capital of the meta department. on august 31, the josé maría córdova airport carried out the first simulation in the country in order to deal with contagions of the disease. on august 26, the first one was confirmed in the department of sucre, specifically in the municipality of tolú in the western part of the department. on august 29, the first case was confirmed in tunja, capital of the department of boyacá. september 2022 on september 7, the health authorities of the department of cesar confirmed the first case in the department, specifically in valledupar. on september 9, the first case was confirmed in the capital of putumayo, mocoa, according to adriana medicis, health secretary of the departmental government, explained that the case was a person residing in mocoa. also on the same day, the first case was confirmed in the city of neiva, the capital of the huila department. vaccination in august 2022, the colombian government requested from the pan american health organization the vaccines to immunize the country's population. doctor gina tambini, who is colombia's representative for both the world health organization and the pan american health organization, explained about the vaccination scheme that will be implemented in the country, which will first prioritize people who have presented symptoms of the disease or have been close to positive cases. cumulative case progress by department 2022–2023 mpox outbreak by department region ins press sources cases cases ref(s). colombia 938 933 — antioquía 125 125 atlántico 7 7 bogotá 697 697 boyacá 1 1 bolívar 6 8 caldas 2 2 cauca 2 2 cesar — 2 cundinamarca 21 21 huila 1 1 la guajira 2 2 magdalena 2 2 meta 3 2 norte de santander 1 1 quindío 2 2 putumayo — 1 risaralda 6 6 santander 8 8 sucre 1 1 tolima 14 14 valle del cauca 37 26 updated: september 11, 2022 the world health organization (the authority on disease names) announced the new name "mpox" in november 2022. but virus naming is the responsibility of the international committee on the taxonomy of viruses (ictv), who are currently reviewing all orthopoxvirus species. as of march 2023, the official name of the virus remains "monkeypox virus". 86 in medellín and cases in bello, caldas, copacabana, el carmen de viboral, envigado, girardota, guarne, la ceja y sabaneta 5 in barranquilla, 1 in soledad & 1 in malambo one in tunja 7 in cartagena & 1 in turbaco 2 in manizales one in popayán 2 in valledupar one in cajicá one in neiva 1 in riohacha & 1 in albania 1 in santa marta & 1 in fundación two in villavicencio one in cúcuta one in armenia one in mocoa 6 in pereira 7 in bucaramanga and 1 in girón one in tolú all confirmed cases are in ibagué 19 in cali and 7 in other parts of the department