Te Marae Ora Ministry of Health has issued a travel advisory for residents travelling to African countries affected by mpox outbreak, while assuring the public that the risk to the Cook Islands remains low.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared mpox, previously known as monkeypox, outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

But Te Marae Ora (TMO) Ministry of Health says the risk to the Cook Islands at present is low.

Secretary of Health Bob Williams said an international travel advisory for Cook Islanders was issued on August 15 for anyone who may be travelling to infected African countries to take extra precautionary measures.

Minister for Health Vainetutai Rose Toki-Brown updated Cabinet last week on the current mpox situation and TMO continues to monitor the risk to the Cook Islands.

Williams said member states including the Cook Islands get regular updates from WHO with regards to the public health emergency of international concern declared on August 14, 2024.

“During the last six months of 2024, 1859 cases were confirmed in the African region with over 500 deaths reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2023,” he said.

Mpox can be prevented by avoiding physical contact with someone who has mpox, and vaccination can help prevent infection in people at risk.

“Unlike Covid-19, mpox transmission modes are person-to-person which can be through body contact, sharing clothes or anything used by the infected person,” Williams said.

Meanwhile, in preparation for future respiratory pathogen pandemics, Cabinet endorsed and approved the Cook Islands National Pandemic Preparedness Plan (NPPP) 2024 which can be executed if necessary.

According to the NPPP2024, its key purpose is to prepare for a pandemic, minimise deaths, serious illness and serious disruption to communities and the economy arising from a respiratory pandemic.

The document outlines all-of-government, and non-government measures that will be considered in response to a respiratory pathogen pandemic and provides an overview of the governance and activities that are being undertaken to ensure the Cook Islands is adequately prepared for a pandemic.

It focuses on respiratory-type pandemics such as influenza, coronavirus and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) that spread from human to human via the respiratory route.

This plan can be used in conjunction with other disease specific plans including the Covid-19 response plan or an influenza pandemic plan.

Key facts 

• Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. There are two distinct clades of the virus: clade I (with subclades Ia and Ib) and clade II (with subclades IIa and IIb). In 2022–2023 a global outbreak of mpox was caused by the clade IIb strain.
• Mpox continues to be a threat today, and an upsurge of cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries caused by clades Ia and Ib has raised concern.
• There are vaccines for mpox. Vaccination should be considered along with other public health interventions.
• Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last 2–4 weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.
• Mpox can be transmitted through close contact with someone who has mpox, with contaminated materials, or with infected animals. During pregnancy, the virus may be passed to the fetus, or to the newborn during or after birth.
• Mpox is treated with supportive care for symptoms such as pain and fever, with close attention to nutrition, hydration, skin care, prevention of secondary infections and treatment of co-infections, including HIV where present.