Istanbul tightens flight monitoring for African mpox hotspots

August 23, 2024 admin-dominor

Flights from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and ten neighboring African countries are under close monitoring at Istanbul Airport due to the spread of the mpox virus. The Turkish General Directorate of Border and Coastal Health has implemented enhanced measures to track flights and passengers from these high-risk regions.

Mpox, which has been declared an international public health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to its rapid spread and fatal outcomes, has also been reported in Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Cameroon, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Kenya, Ivory Coast and South Africa.

Dr. Aykut Yener Kavak, Chief Physician at Istanbul Airport for the General Directorate of Border and Coastal Health, stated that the monitoring process began following the WHO’s global emergency declaration. The health team at the airport operates 24/7, rigorously inspecting all flights from affected regions.

“We go right up to the doors of the planes from the Democratic Republic of Congo to conduct checks. We inquire if there are any passengers showing symptoms such as rashes or fever. Additionally, we track flights from the other 11 countries online. Any suspicious cases are thoroughly checked,” Kavak explained.

So far, no cases of mpox have been detected at Istanbul Airport. Potentially suspicious passengers were examined but cleared to travel as none were found to have mpox. The key diagnostic criteria include rashes, fever, a history of travel to affected areas and swollen lymph nodes. Suspected cases are isolated and examined by health teams.

Meanwhile, Türkiye on Thursday confirmed that no healthcare facilities in the capital Ankara are currently quarantining patients for mpox, after media reports had suggested that individuals in the city were under quarantine for the disease, prompting the officials to issue a statement clarifying that these claims are false.

The authorities emphasized that no mpox-related quarantines are in place, criticized the reports as misleading and urged citizens to trust official sources and avoid spreading unverified information.

Kavak added that passengers showing symptoms will be referred to designated hospitals for further investigation. He noted that the airport staff receives numerous queries on this matter and that information sessions have been held with aviation stakeholders to address concerns.

According to Kavak, current scientific data suggests that mpox is not likely to become a widespread outbreak. “The WHO has confirmed this. Since the virus does not spread through respiratory droplets, we are somewhat more at ease. The most effective prevention is to avoid close contact and not touch lesions with bare hands,” he said.

He also mentioned that those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk and that cases generally recover within two to four weeks. The smallpox vaccine, which is 95% effective, is available in the affected regions and vaccination efforts are increasing.

Contrary to claims on social media, there is no mandatory mask or glove requirement for airport or aircraft personnel. Kavak clarified that only cleaning staff are advised to use gloves in certain areas. Airline staff are instructed to monitor passengers for symptoms and inform local authorities if needed. If symptoms arise during travel, air traffic control should be notified and airport personnel should report any patients with lesions.

Unpredictable risks

As global concern over mpox grows, questions about its risks and variant differences remain unclear.

In July, the WHO declared mpox an international health emergency. First identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the disease, formerly known as “monkeypox,” was limited to Africa with a mortality rate of 1% to 10%.

The situation changed in 2022 when mpox spread to Western countries, where the mortality rate dropped to around 0.2%. This difference is attributed to better medical care in Western nations compared to many African regions.

Antoine Gessain, a virologist, notes that the current outbreak’s mortality rate of 3.6% might be lower if it were not mainly in the DRC, where many victims are malnourished children. In contrast, the 2022-23 epidemic in the DRC saw fewer deaths among adults with HIV.

Transmission patterns also vary. In 2022-23, most transmissions occurred through sexual contact among homosexual or bisexual men. The current DRC outbreak is linked to Clade 1 mpox, while the earlier epidemic was caused by Clade 2.

New variant 1b, a derivative of Clade 1, is also causing concern. Dutch virologist Marion Koopmans warns against overestimating its dangers due to limited evidence. Clade 1 is historically linked to higher mortality rates than Clade 2, but comparisons are challenging due to differing populations and conditions.

The recent detection of Clade 1 in Sweden underscores the need for more research. Gessain emphasizes the difficulty of comparing clades due to varying contexts and at-risk populations.