WHO Issues New Mpox Care and Safety Guidelines

The World Health Organization (WHO) has released updated recommendations for the clinical management and infection prevention and control (IPC) of mpox amid rising global transmission and evolving virus strains.

The new guidelines cover care settings ranging from home-based support to community clinics and specialized healthcare facilities, emphasizing differentiated care based on severity and patient risk.

Mild, uncomplicated mpox cases may be managed at home, while patients with acute infection or risk of complications should be treated in health facilities with increased supportive care.

Health workers in clinical settings are advised to use personal protective equipment—gloves, gowns, medical masks, and eye protection—based on risk assessments when caring for patients with suspected or confirmed mpox.

WHO recommends respirator use during aerosol-generating procedures or in areas with poor ventilation, underscoring the need for rigorous airborne precautions in certain scenarios.

In home settings, individuals with mild mpox should not be required to isolate if lesions are fully covered and a well-fitting medical mask is worn during close contact with others.

If a patient cannot comply with lesion coverage or proper mask use, isolation at home is advised to prevent environmental contamination and household transmission.

WHO urges additional environmental hygiene measures to reduce surface contamination and limit the spread of the virus in home environments.

New clinical guidance also addresses special circumstances, including breastfeeding and co-infection with HIV, reflecting a more holistic care approach.

“WHO suggests that mothers with mpox continue breastfeeding whilst limiting direct contact with their non-infected infant,” the organization stated, emphasizing the importance of maintaining maternal and infant health.

Mothers who recover from mpox are encouraged to resume breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contact with their infants once lesions are fully healed.

Rapid initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is also recommended for individuals co-infected with HIV and mpox who are ART-naïve or have experienced a prolonged treatment interruption.

These updated protocols build on WHO’s interim mpox guidance released in 2022, which followed the global spread of clade IIb during an unprecedented outbreak affecting multiple continents.

Historically confined to Central and West Africa, mpox outbreaks expanded globally in 2022 and have since included newer clades Ia and Ib, with recent transmission detected outside Africa since August 2024.

In response, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared a renewed public health emergency of international concern, citing the escalating epidemic risk and transcontinental spread of clade Ib.

Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), a relative of the smallpox virus, and can result in painful lesions, fever, and lymphadenopathy.

The updated WHO guidelines aim to improve safety for patients and health workers alike, while adapting global health responses to the virus’s changing epidemiology.