New mutant monkeypox strain with ‘pandemic potential’ is discovered in a village in Congo – as health officials call for ‘urgent action’ to contain it
A mutated strain of monkeypox with ‘pandemic potential’ has been found in a city in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The virus is a descendant of the deadlier clade 1 mpox strain, but has evolved to become even more contagious and evade tests better than its predecessor.
The disturbing discovery was made in Kamituga – a poor, densely populated gold mining town feared to be ripe for an explosive outbreak.. There have been 108 cases so far.
Researchers who detailed the virus in a pre-print have called for “urgent action” to contain the virus and prevent a global outbreak.
The new virus is spreading in Kamituga – a poor, densely populated gold mining town feared ripe for an explosive outbreak (stock)
“Without intervention, this local Kamituga outbreak harbors the potential to spread nationally and internationally,” the authors said wrote.
“Given the recent history of MPox outbreaks in the DRC, we call for swift action from endemic countries and the international community to prevent another global MPox outbreak,” they added.
The researchers are concerned that Kamituga’s ‘highly mobile’ population could be the perfect breeding ground for the new virus.
Miners and sex workers frequently travel to and from the city for work from neighboring countries such as Rwanda and Burundi.
And “many people with MPox symptoms remain in the community and do not seek care,” the authors wrote.
The pre-print warns that the ‘local healthcare infrastructure is ill-equipped to handle a large-scale epidemic’
The experts have called for the rollout of vaccines and medicines and for enhanced surveillance and contact tracing measures in the area.
Mpox caused an international epidemic in 2022 when it spread to more than 100 countries and killed hundreds of people – including 58 Americans.
That outbreak was caused by the milder clade 2 strain, which is rarely fatal.
Over the past year, the DRC has struggled to control a deadlier version of the virus known as ‘clade 1’, which kills up to 10 percent of those infected.
The new mutant strain – called ‘clade 1b’ – appears to be just as deadly. Of the 108 cases, two deaths have occurred.
It is believed to have emerged and jumped to animals sometime between July and September 2023.
As the disease spread in Kamituga, it acquired new mutations that aided its spread, especially among sex workers.
Nearly 30 percent of the cases involved sex workers, suggesting the virus is spreading in a similar way to the virus that caused the 2022 outbreak.
About 85 percent of people had genital lesions, while 10 percent were hospitalized.
The research was led by Congolese scientists in collaboration with experts from Africa, Europe, the US and Canada.
The findings were discussed last week by the health ministers of twelve countries at a meeting of the Africa Centers for Disease Control. The Telegraph reports.