Health officials are warning that cases of MPox have reached record highs in some parts of Africa, which they fear could spread “to other countries” including the US.
In a recently released report, CDC officials reported that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has seen an increase in mpox (formerly called Monkeypox) between 2023 and 2024.
Although the disease, which causes rashes and lesions, is endemic in the DRC, US experts fear that the increase in a more severe form of MPOX, called clade I, could lead to a repeat of its rapid spread in other countries such as the US and Great Britain. .
The team wrote that this increase “underlines the importance of coordinated, urgent global action to support the DRC’s efforts to contain the virus.”
CDC officials said the latest surge in MPOX cases in the DRC is the “largest increase in MPOX cases ever recorded.” It includes 19,919 cases and 975 deaths
Telltale signs of mpox are rashes and lesions. Muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, headaches and chills are also common
The report comes after officials in the small town of Kamituga found a mutated mpox strain with “pandemic potential.”
Additionally, news of the disease, which often infects gay and bisexual men, comes as the US and other countries around the world prepare to celebrate Pride month in June.
Mpox is divided into two categories: clade I and clade II.
Clade I, which officials say has never been found outside endemic African regions, is the most severe form of the disease.
According to the CDC, clade I outbreaks have killed up to 10 percent of infected people. It is endemic to Central Africa.
The less severe form is known as clade II, which has spread to the US and UK, and other developed countries. The CDC estimates that 99.9 percent of patients survive. This form is endemic to West Africa.
The CDC analyzed data from the DRC’s National Infectious Disease Surveillance System.
It found that between January 1, 2023 and April 14, 2024, 19,919 cases of clade I Mpox had been reported, along with 975 deaths.
CDC officials called it the “largest wave of Mpox cases in the DRC ever recorded.”
About 67 percent of infections occurred in patients younger than 15 years of age, and these patients were responsible for 78 percent of deaths.
Children aged one to five years made up 28 percent of infections.
Cases came from 25 of the DRC’s 26 provinces, hitting the capital Kinshasa for the first time. However, they were mainly concentrated in the western province of Equateur.
The CDC reported that while almost every province reported MPox cases, most were concentrated in the western region of Equateur
The CDC researchers noted that cases can result from contact with multiple types of infected animals. “Transmissible spread to close contacts within households is likely to contribute substantially to the number of cases,” the experts wrote.
They also suggested that varying demographics between provinces, such as sexual preference, could result in “a complex epiemiological picture.”
The World Health Organization states that MPox spreads through skin-to-skin contact with an infected person, contact with bodily fluids, intimate sexual contact, or contact with infected animals.
MPox caused alarm among US health officials in 2022 when clade II began spreading rapidly among gay and bisexual men, peaking at 450 cases per day in August of that year.
But the number of infections appeared to be declining due to increased awareness of the disease and a rushed vaccination programme.
A total of 32,063 cases were diagnosed with MPox and 58 people died from the disease.
As of January 2024, the CDC will no longer update its Mpox data, leaving detection to local and state authorities.
The CDC said it is working to expand laboratory testing for MPox across the DRC and is investigating the JYNNEOS vaccine, which is approved in the US for MPox and smallpox.
The agency warned that while clade I has not been seen in the US, those most vulnerable to infection, such as gay men, may need to take extra precautions.
“To date, no cases of clade I mpox have been reported in the United States or in countries where the virus is not endemic,” the researchers said.
‘However, given the documented sexual transmission of clade I MPXV in the DRC, individuals who engage in certain sexual behaviors (e.g., MSM with multiple sexual partners and sex workers) may be at increased risk if clade I mpox is introduced into the United States.’
The agency issued a health alert in December 2023 urging doctors to look out for MPox in people with signs and symptoms who have recently been to the DRC.
In addition, it has issued a Level 2 travel health notice, which suggests avoiding contact with wild animals, avoiding sick people, not touching contaminated items such as bedding and getting vaccinated if you have certain risk factors.
These include being gay or bisexual, having sexual contact with a person at risk, or being with someone who may have MPOX.