Mpox: stabilization of cases in the DRC, according to the WHO

Health officials in Congo report a stabilization of mpox cases. The WHO says around 200 to 300 confirmed cases per week, down from July.

The town of Kamituga, epicenter of the new variant, is also experiencing this decreasing trend.

However, only 40 to 50% of suspected cases are tested, and the virus is still circulating, particularly in Uganda.

Although the decline in infections in Congo is encouraging, health experts lament the lack of vaccines.

Only 265,000 doses have been received for a population of 110 million. The WHO notes that 50,000 people have been vaccinated.

Scientists are calling for an expanded vaccination effort to stop mpox and prevent new mutations.

Until then, Mpox was transmitted mainly by skin contact, particularly through clothing and sheets. But the clade 1b strain has acquired a new mode of transmission, sexually, which accelerates its circulation.

This new variant, more deadly and as transmissible as that of 2022. It is now circulating in Africa, with possibilities of transmission to other countries.