At least 25 cases of a new strain of mpox, a disease formerly known as monkeypox, that is spreading across the Democratic Republic of Congo were detected in the eastern city of Goma on Wednesday (10). Health authorities said most of the cases were reported in camps sheltering people fleeing a nearby conflict.
Congo has had 20,000 cases and more than 1,000 deaths from mpox, mostly among children, since the start of 2023. More than 11,000 cases, including 443 deaths, have been reported so far this year.
Authorities recently approved the use of vaccines to combat the outbreak, but none are currently available outside of clinical trials in the country.
The head of the national response team against the mpox epidemic, Cris Kacita, said in an interview that most of the new cases were found in refugee camps.
Kacita said the cases were infected with a new strain of the virus that is spreading in South Kivu province. Goma is the capital and largest city of neighboring North Kivu province.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and scientists sounded the alarm last month about the mpox situation in Congo, including the spread of a new mpox strain in South Kivu.
MPOX has been endemic in Congo for at least a decade, but a new clade 1 strain of the virus emerged last year. It is a viral infection spread through close contact, causing flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. Most cases are mild, but the disease can be fatal.
Source: CNN Brasil
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