Impact of Three Outbreaks on Mpox Prevention Program in Iraq: Lessons and Recommendations

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained an already fragile Iraqi healthcare system. Globally, the pandemic affected the emergence and re-emergence of infectious illnesses. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Iraqi healthcare system was further exhausted when the country reported cases of Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever and Cholera. Mpox is a zoonotic viral disease caused by the MPOX virus. In Iraq, as all resources are directed towards these three outbreaks, Mpox becomes extremely negligible. Failure to prevent the spread of this disease will have a catastrophic effect on the Iraqi healthcare system. Efforts should be made to increase population awareness regarding transmission routes and symptoms of Mpox. Training programs should be provided to healthcare workers to distinguish Mpox from other rash illnesses concisely. Effective surveillance programs and providing diagnostic tools to detect unknown or suspected cases should be the priority of the health authorities. Lessons must be learned from these three outbreaks.