Over the past year, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has grappled with the largest outbreak of mpox in the past half century. Despite obstacles, an enhanced response to the crisis can provide a blueprint for fortifying the healthcare system
Faraan Rahim, 1 Cameron Sabet, 2 Serge Holenn, 3 Julian Hertz1
Since 1 January 2023, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported over 13 000 suspected cases of mpox and more than 600 deaths, marking the region’s largest recorded outbreak.1 Cases have been documented across 22 of DRC’s 26 provinces, including major outbreaks in urban areas like Kinshasa and Goma.1 Although the clade Impoxvirus has been endemic to central regions of DRC since the
1970s, a new, mutated strain of the virus known as clade Ib was reported in Kamituga in April 2024 and has alarmed global experts with its enhanced transmissibility and ability to evade detection by some tests.2 Researchers attribute the recent rise in mpox cases and spread of the new clade Ib virus to sexual transmission among key populations such as men who have sex with men.3
