WHO fears international spread of epidemic from Democratic Republic of Congo

2023-12-15 17:06:17

In 2023, the WHO counted “more than 13,000 suspected cases” in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the main epidemic center of mpox, i.e. more than “twice the number of cases reported” compared to previous years.

Published on 15/12/2023 16:52

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Illustration of the mpox virus, a disease first reported in humans in 1970. (SERGII IAREMENKO/ SCIENCE PHOTO L / SIA / AFP)

A worrying epidemiological situation. The World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned, Friday, December 15, about the risks of an international spread of the mpox epidemic (long called monkeypox) which is spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to areas previously considered spared. “More than 13,000 suspected cases” were recorded in the DRC, i.e. “more than twice the number of cases reported in previous years,” and among them “more than 600 deaths”specified Doctor Rosamund Lewis, specialist in mpox during a press briefing organized in Geneva.

The WHO had already sounded the alert at the end of November on this epidemic, caused by a new variant of the virus, and announced the sending of an evaluation mission. Since May 2022, more than 92,000 cases have been reported in 117 countries. Outbreaks of the mpox IIb variant had been observed in Europe and the United States, outside of the ten countries in central and west Africa where the disease has long been endemic.

In May 2022, the WHO raised the alert, but called for continued vigilance. Recently, cases notified to the WHO have started to rise again, from around a hundred per month from June to August to “more than 1,000 per month” today, said Doctor Rosamund Lewis, reporting outbreaks in Asia, particularly in Japan, Vietnam, China and Indonesia. Cambodia reported its first case this week.