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Address the Spread of mpox in Africa: WHO

  • 27 Jun 2024

On June 25th, 2024, the World Health Organisation (WTO) asked to address the spread of mpox in Africa, as scientists warned separately of the dangers of a new strain spreading in a hard-to-reach part of Democratic Republic of Congo.

Key Points

  • A dangerous strain of mpox that is killing children and causing miscarriages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most transmissible yet and could spread internationally.
  • According to WTO report , there have been around 7,850 mpox cases reported in DRC, and 384 deaths in 2024.
  • The virus appears to be spreading from person to person via both sexual and non-sexual contact, in places ranging from brothels to schools.
  • Mpox is a virus from the same family as smallpox, and causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions.
  • The new DRC outbreak is a mutated form of clade I mpox.
  • Clade I has historically been found in people who eat infected bushmeat, with transmission largely confined to the affected household.