A dangerous new strain of mpox, particularly lethal in children, is spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), prompting concerns among health experts and the World Health Organisation (WHO) about the potential for another global outbreak. This new strain, a mutated form of the clade 1 mpox virus known as clade 1b, first emerged in September 2023 among sex workers in a DRC mining town. The virus, which was previously associated with animal contact, is now being transmitted through both sexual and non-sexual human contact, making it easier to spread and more dangerous.
How is this mpox outbreak different from others? Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a viral infection that causes symptoms like fever, chills, fatigue, and a characteristic pus-filled rash. The 2022 global outbreak, driven by clade 2b and largely transmitted among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, was brought under control through vaccination. However, the current outbreak in the DRC involves clade 1b, which has a higher mortality rate of around 5 per cent in adults and 10 per cent in children, is causing an alarming number of miscarriages among pregnant women.
In a video call with journalists, John Claude Udahemuka, a lecturer at the University of Rwanda, described the variant as “undoubtedly the most dangerous of all the known strains of mpox, considering how it is transmitted, how it is spread, and the symptoms.” Trudie Lang, professor of global health at Oxford Univ.