Resurgence of Mpox, Clade I in the Democratic Republic of Congo – 2023
Resurgence of Mpox, Clade I in the Democratic Republic of Congo – 2023
Since January 2023, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has seen a resurgence in the number of Monkeypox virus (MPXV) infections compared with previous years. This increase is accompanied by a worrying widening of the virus’ circulation zone, which is now reaching new provinces beyond rural geographical areas, into urban or peri-urban areas that were not the usual breeding grounds for epidemic outbreaks or Mpox clusters. To date, 12,569 suspected cases and 581 deaths (CFR1: 4.6%) have been reported in 23 of the 26 provinces, and health authorities estimate that the virus is probably already circulating throughout the country. The incidence of cases in 2023 is now the highest ever recorded in the DRC. This upsurge does not appear to be linked to the global Mpox epidemic caused by clade II viruses declared in May 2022, since only MPXV strains belonging to clade I are currently circulating within the country. For several months now, health authorities and field teams have been working to understand the reasons behind this outbreak of new MPXV infections.
In April 2023, the Kinshasa-based Institut national de recherche biomédicale (INRB) documented that five people – including four men and one woman – were infected with clade I MPXV strains following sexual relations with a Belgian resident with atypical genital and anal lesions. This study benefited from support from the AFROSCREEN project, and the One Health PANAFPOX project, supported by Inserm-ANRS | MIE and conducted by INRB and TransVIHMI IRD-INSERM-Univerisité de Montpellier.
Find out more:
- Article : Kibungu, E. M. et al. Early Release – Clade I-Associated Mpox Cases Associated with Sexual Contact, the Democratic Republic of the Congo – Volume 30, Number 1 – January 2024 – Emerging Infectious Diseases journal – CDC. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/30/1/23-1164_article
- Note from WHO: Mpox (monkeypox)- Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO. 23 November 2023. https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2023-DON493
- Note from ANRS | MIE:
Since January 2023, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has seen a resurgence in the number of Monkeypox virus (MPXV) infections compared with previous years. This increase is accompanied by a worrying widening of the virus’ circulation zone, which is now reaching new provinces beyond rural geographical areas, into urban or peri-urban areas that were not the usual breeding grounds for epidemic outbreaks or Mpox clusters. To date, 12,569 suspected cases and 581 deaths (CFR1: 4.6%) have been reported in 23 of the 26 provinces, and health authorities estimate that the virus is probably already circulating throughout the country. The incidence of cases in 2023 is now the highest ever recorded in the DRC. This upsurge does not appear to be linked to the global Mpox epidemic caused by clade II viruses declared in May 2022, since only MPXV strains belonging to clade I are currently circulating within the country. For several months now, health authorities and field teams have been working to understand the reasons behind this outbreak of new MPXV infections.
In April 2023, the Kinshasa-based Institut national de recherche biomédicale (INRB) documented that five people – including four men and one woman – were infected with clade I MPXV strains following sexual relations with a Belgian resident with atypical genital and anal lesions. This study benefited from support from the AFROSCREEN project, and the One Health PANAFPOX project, supported by Inserm-ANRS | MIE and conducted by INRB and TransVIHMI IRD-INSERM-Univerisité de Montpellier.
Find out more:
- Article : Kibungu, E. M. et al. Early Release – Clade I-Associated Mpox Cases Associated with Sexual Contact, the Democratic Republic of the Congo – Volume 30, Number 1 – January 2024 – Emerging Infectious Diseases journal – CDC. https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/30/1/23-1164_article
- Note from WHO: Mpox (monkeypox)- Democratic Republic of the Congo. WHO. 23 November 2023. https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2023-DON493
- Note from ANRS | MIE: