Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is currently facing fatalities among children and miscarriages in pregnant women, raising concerns about the potential international spread of a dangerous and highly transmissible strain of the mpox virus. The virus, which spreads through both sexual and non-sexual contact, has led to hundreds of hospitalizations in Kamituga, South Kivu province. This outbreak is believed to be a mutated form of clade I Mpox, with a fatality rate of about 5% in adults and 10% in children, significantly higher than the clade II strain that caused an outbreak in Europe and the US two years ago.
Historically, clade I was mostly confined to households that consumed infected bushmeat, but the current outbreak appears to have originated from sex workers. Experts emphasize the urgent need for preparations to prevent the virus from spreading further, particularly given the…
