WHO Warns of Severe Mpox Situation in Africa

Kinshasa — On Monday (Dec. 23), the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the Mpox (monkeypox) outbreak in Africa remains highly concerning, particularly with significant cases identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Burundi, and Uganda.

According to the latest WHO report, as of Dec. 15, Africa has confirmed 13,769 Mpox cases, including 60 deaths across 20 countries. The DRC has been the most severely affected, reporting 9,513 cases.

The WHO cautioned that although the DRC, the epicenter of the Mpox outbreak, has shown a relatively stable number of cases in recent weeks, this trend should be interpreted with caution, as delays in case reporting may obscure the true scale of the outbreak.

The current outbreak involves the Mpox clade 1b strain, which is more virulent and less understood in terms of transmission dynamics. This strain was first detected in the DRC in September 2023 and has since been identified in other countries, including Sweden and Thailand.

The WHO noted that the clade 1b strain continues to spread beyond the DRC, with cases detected in eight countries outside Africa. This strain has a mortality rate of approximately 3.6%, significantly higher than that of previous strains.

Sources:

- Xinhua

- ArokaGO Health Library: Monkeypox Symptoms