The World Health Organization urged greater attention to mpox cases Tuesday as independent scientists raised concerns that a more deadly version of the virus is circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“There is a critical need to address the recent surge in mpox cases in Africa,” Rosamund Lewis, the WHO’s technical lead for mpox, said to reporters in a briefing note, as reported by Reuters.
A more severe strain of the virus, a mutated form of clade I, is circulating in the South Kivu province of Democratic Republic of Congo, John Claude Udahemuka, a scientist from the University of Rwanda, warned in a separate briefing.
Reuters reported the mutated clade had a fatality rate of around 5% in adults and 10% in children. Approximately 8,600 mpox cases have been reported in Congo, and 410 deaths were reported this year.
Udahemuka and other researchers said the virus was spreading in part by sexual contact, but other modes of contact needed to be studied.
Leandre Murhula Masirika, research coordinator in the health department in South Kivu province, said the outbreak was the worst mpox epidemic yet and the disease could be exported to nearby countries.
The CDC reported at least 32,063 cases of mpox and 58 deaths in the US since 2022.
What is mpox?
Formerly known as Monkeypox, mpox is a part of the same virus family that causes smallpox. It is a disease that often spreads through bodily fluids and contact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
The disease was first discovered in 1958 at an animal facility in Denmark. The pox-like outbreak occurred where monkeys were being kept for research, the National Institutes of Health said.
Mpox is a zoonotic disease which means it can carried in animals like African giant pouched rats, apes, dormice, monkeys, rope squirrels and tree squirrels, the American Veterinary Medical Association said.
Although mpox primarily affects bisexual and homosexual men, the virus can spread to everyone regardless of sexual orientation or gender, the CDC said. Clade IIb was the form of the virus that spread globally and appeared in the United States in 2022.
Mpox symptoms and vaccine
The CDC says many people who contract mpox will have a rash on their hands, feet, chest, face, mouth or near their genitals. The rash can start out as a pimple or blisters and over time can become very painful. Other symptoms of mpox include:
- Fever
- Chills
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Exhaustion
- Muscle aches and backache
- Headache
- Respiratory symptoms (e.g., sore throat, nasal congestion, or cough)
The JYNNEOS vaccine is available for those who have contracted mpox or have a sexual partner who had a known or expected exposure to mpox. A full list of people who are recommended to get the vaccine is available on the CDC website.
Contributing: Reuters
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