The World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended that countries affected by the mpox variant begin vaccination efforts in areas where cases have emerged. The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the hardest-hit nation, announced that it expects to receive its first doses of the vaccine “next week.”
Since the beginning of the year, the DRC has reported 16,700 cases of mpox, resulting in “just over 570 deaths,” according to Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba during a press conference. The government noted that the outbreak is increasingly affecting young people, with many children under the age of fifteen impacted.
The current outbreak is marked by a more contagious and dangerous strain of the virus, with a mortality rate estimated at 3.6%.
Rising Concern in Africa
The surge of mpox in the DRC, which has also spread to Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda, led the WHO to declare its highest level of international alert. The DRC remains the epicenter of this outbreak, and the spread of this more virulent strain has raised significant concern across Africa and beyond.
Mpox cases have also been reported outside of Africa, including in Sweden, Pakistan, and the Philippines.