United States: The Central African nation of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC ) has been overwhelmed by the stupendous spike in cases of mpox disease, believed to have resulted from a fresh strain much more virulent than the one that roamed in Europe and America in 2022.
It is widely recognized that the best measure to maintain the DRC outbreak within country’s boundary is to refer to the CDC experts’ report released on Thursday which recommends so.
What else are experts saying?
The CDC research biologist Christina Hutson said that the spread of the lethal clade I strain of mpox “raises concerns that the virus could spread to other countries and underscores the importance of coordinated, urgent global action to support DRC’s efforts to contain the virus,” as US News reported.
The strain that spread from Africa to Europe and North America two years ago was known as clade II.
Hutson’s team noted that the resulting illnesses, which were often severe and painful, had a death rate ranging from 0.1 percent to 3.6 percent of cases, according to various studies.
However, the expert team also pointed out that clade I mpox is more dangerous, with deaths ranging from 1.4 percent to 10 percent of patients worldwide.
More on the current outbreak – CDC
The CDC said that this outbreak is possibly the widely spread one as “During 2023 and 2024, clade I mpox cases were reported from 25 of 26 provinces and, for the first time, from the capital city of Kinshasa,” as US News reported.
Moreover, the children are more vulnerable, as per the reports, two-thirds (67 percent) of suspected cases and more than three-quarters (78 percent) of suspected deaths have occurred in persons aged 15 years [or younger].”
The team of researchers added, “In two outbreaks [in the DRC], sexual transmission of clade I MPXV was reported among men-who-have-sex-with-men and both male and female sex workers and their contacts.”
Why is Mpox endemic to Africa?
Researchers explain that mpox is endemic to Africa because it spreads to humans through contact with animals such as monkeys.
For the current DRC outbreak, the data “suggests that outbreaks involve multiple introductions from animal hosts within DRC,” Houston’s team stated.
The team added, “CDC’s support for DRC’s pox-related activities during the last 15 years has included establishing laboratory testing and training, supporting diagnostic testing and genetic sequencing, conducting Jynneos vaccine clinical research, and training frontline health care workers,” as US News reported.
Preparedness efforts in the US
The CDC is working in the DRC and surrounding countries to assist in containing the virus and enhancing preparedness in the US to prevent contamination by new strains among Americans.
The study authors stated, “CDC issued a Health Alert Network notice on December 7, 2023, urging U.S. clinicians to consider clade I MPXV infection in persons with mpox signs and symptoms who had recently been in DRC,” and, “The notice recommended expedited clade-specific testing for those patients.”
They even put stress on the fact that “to date, no cases of clade I mpox have been reported in the United States or in any countries where the virus is not endemic.”
The CD team maintained that vaccinating vulnerable individuals is a must, but “in the United States, only 23 percent of persons at risk for clade II MPXV infection have completed the 2-dose Jynneos vaccination series,” as US News reported.
Furthermore, as there are “reports of increased mpox in some [DRC-] bordering countries,” the fear is heightening regarding another major dangerous global outbreak. In that context, U.S. clinicians and public health practitioners should be alert for possible cases in travelers from DRC and request clade-specific testing,” concluded Hutson’s team.