mpox outbreak

Unprecedented Mpox Outbreak in the DRC Spreads to Uganda and Kenya

An unprecedented outbreak of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has now spread beyond its borders, confirming fears of regional transmission. Recent sequencing of the mpox viruses from three cases in Uganda and Kenya has revealed that they belong to a more lethal variant previously observed only in the DRC.

“We warned everyone about it,” stated Placide Mbala, an epidemiologist at the DRC’s National Institute of Biomedical Research. He emphasized the high mobility in the eastern part of the country and its strong connections with neighboring nations, suggesting it was inevitable that cases would emerge across borders.

In response to this concerning development, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a call for increased support, fearing the potential onset of a new mpox epidemic, just two years after a milder strain spread globally. “A further scaling up of the mpox response underway in affected countries is urgently needed amid the expanding outbreak,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in a statement to ScienceInsider. He noted that WHO is collaborating with local health officials, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), and international partners to contain the spread. However, Tedros stressed the urgent need for additional funding to support comprehensive response efforts, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines.

The situation underscores the critical importance of international cooperation and swift action to prevent the outbreak from escalating into a global health crisis.