First reports of mpox have been received in several regions of the Republic of the Congo, African media reported, citing the Congolese ministry of health.
The ministry reportedly said that a total of 43 cases had been documented, with incidents in nine of the country's 12 departments.
In November 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it had confirmed the first-ever sexual transmission of mpox in the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). African scientists cautioned that this might make it more challenging to control the disease.
During an intercontinental epidemic in 2022 that saw the disease spread to over 100 countries, mpox became a major problem on a global scale. Although mpox has long been common in some areas of Central and West Africa, the majority of cases were caused by rodent infection, which prevented the disease from spreading widely.
At this point, the outbreak had claimed over 90,000 lives, according to the WHO. The largest-ever outbreak in the DRC has been traced to at least 12,569 cases and 581 deaths.
At this point, the outbreak had claimed over 90,000 lives, according to the WHO. The largest-ever outbreak in the DRC has been traced to at least 12,569 cases and 581 deaths.
Interestingly, in 2022, the WHO changed the name of monkeypox to mpox due to concerns that the original name was racially insensitive and carried negative social connotations.
The virus was named after its detection in a colony of laboratory monkeys in 1958. Human infection cases were initially recorded in the DRC in 1970.