WHO expresses worries as DR Congo reports highest Mpox cases since 2020
The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concerns as the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to face risk due to the Mpox outbreak.
The country has recorded no fewer than 13,000 suspected cases – the highest since 2020.
The global health body stressed that the outbreak is expanding geographically, including provinces “not previously known to have mpox.”
A WHO’s technical lead for mpox told a UN press briefing in Geneva that the cases and over 600 related deaths were reported from January 1 through mid-November 2023.
“This is the highest number of annual cases reported compared to the prior peak of more than 6,000 cases reported in 2020,” Rosamund Lewis said.
“There is an urgent need to invest in capacity for detection, confirmation, and response,” she said, adding that WHO is working with the Health Ministry to support distribution of sample collection and transport kits to reference hospitals and logistical support.
“The outbreak in DRC is a reminder of the need for continued global collaboration and coordination to control and eventually eliminate human-to-human transmission of mpox,” she said.
The WHO expressed deep worries last week over the spread of a severe form of Mpox, formerly called Monkeypox, in the country.
The UN agency noted that it was working to procure or accept donations of Mpox vaccines, currently only available in the DRC, in ongoing clinical studies.
Mpox is a zoonosis, a disease that is transmitted from animals to humans, with cases often found close to tropical rainforests where there are animals that carry the virus. Evidence of monkeypox virus infection has been found in animals including squirrels, Gambian pouched rats, dormice, different species of monkeys, and others.
The disease can also spread from humans to humans. It can be transmitted through contact with bodily fluids, lesions on the skin or on internal mucosal surfaces, such as the mouth or throat, respiratory droplets, and contaminated objects.
