A new strain of the mpox virus, called “Ib,” which is more transmissible and dangerous than previous ones, has been identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and is responsible for the deaths of children.
On June 26, researchers and the World Health Organization (WHO) issued warnings about the potential for this strain to spread to other countries
Jean-Claude Udahemuka, a researcher at the University of Rwanda, stated that all countries should prepare before it is too late.
The mpox virus, also known as monkeypox, was first detected in humans in the DRC in 1970. Since then, the strain I of the virus has caused regular outbreaks primarily in Africa.
However, in 2022, a global epidemic caused by strain II, which is much less deadly, spread to more than one hundred non-endemic countries, mainly affecting homosexual and bisexual men.
Over two and a half years, 97,208 cases and 186 deaths were reported to the WHO. The majority of cases came from the United States, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, France, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Germany, Peru, and China.
In endemic areas of Africa, outbreaks of strain I were mainly due to contact with infected animals, often through the consumption of bushmeat.
However, in September 2023, a mutation of the original strain was detected among sex workers in the isolated mining town of Kamituga in the DRC.
Unlike previous outbreaks, the virus was transmitted through heterosexual intercourse, which particularly concerns researchers.
Source: Le Monde
