More than 15,000 smallpox cases and 461 deaths have been reported in Africa since the start of the year. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared a public health emergency on the continent over the outbreak, which has spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries.
MPox, formerly known as monkeypox, is spread through close physical contact and causes flu-like symptoms and a rash that develops into purulent lesions.
Most cases are mild, but the virus can also kill. The outbreak in Congo began with the spread of an endemic strain known as Clade I. But recently, a new strain called Clade Ib appears to be spreading faster on the continent, especially among children.
More than 15,000 cases have been reported in Africa since the start of the year, up 160% from the same period last year. To the east of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya, countries that had not reported any cases until recently, have seen the emergence of a new strain since mid-July.
mpox virus remains endemic in some African countries since its discovery in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1970. In 2022, a milder form of the virus spread to hundreds of countries, mostly through sexual contact. The unprecedented event prompted the World Health Organization to declare a state of emergency of international concern, the highest level of alert for a pandemic. The state of emergency was declared over after ten months due to a slowdown in the spread.
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