The mpox outbreak has led to 548 fatalities in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the beginning of the year, affecting all provinces, announced Congolese Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba on Thursday.
According to the latest epidemiological report, “our country has recorded 15,664 potential cases and 548 deaths since the start of the year,” he stated.
As of August 3, the Africa CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) reported 455 deaths and 14,479 infections across 25 of the country’s 26 provinces.
On Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) activated its highest level of international health alert in response to the rising number of mpox cases in Africa, originating from the DRC.
The WHO had made a similar decision in 2022 when an mpox outbreak linked to clade 2b spread globally. However, the current outbreak, which began in the DRC and remains confined to Africa for now, possesses unique characteristics, primarily due to a more contagious and dangerous virus. It is caused by clade 1 and a particularly perilous variant, clade 1b, which has an estimated mortality rate of 3.6%.
