Lack of access to vaccines, stigma, and a fast-moving new variant have hindered the DRC’s mpox response. A new strain of mpox that emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) could become an international health threat if it isn’t contained soon – and while lessons from recent viral outbreaks offer a path forward, it’s unclear whether authorities will act quickly enough to rein in the virus. The DRC has been grappling with a major outbreak of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, since .
But it has reached a crisis level recently because the lethal new strain is spreading without sexual contact and may be evading diagnostic tests. Cases are also reaching record highs, and vaccines are not widely accessible. About 9,600 suspected mpox cases in eight African countries this year, and more than 400 people have died.
Children under 15 have accounted for most of the new infections and deaths in 2024. Nearly all of the cases so far have been in the DRC, but health officials say the new strain may already have spread beyond its borders, and that overall cases are likely underreported due to spotty testing and surveillance. Without mitigation measures, mpox could soon cause more illnesses and deaths, and spill beyond Central Africa.
“There's every likelihood that the virus may be on the move,” Dr Rosamund Lewis, the World Health Organization (WHO)’s technical lead and emergency manager for mpox, told Euronews Health. Mpox became a global crisis in 2022 when cases .
