Yesterday, Saturday, the World Health Organization announced that about 14,700 confirmed cases of monkeypox, including 66 deaths, had been recorded in 20 African countries from January 2024 until January 5, 2025.
Confirmed cases are considered only a portion of suspected cases, according to the statement According to the organization, a large number of suspected monkeypox cases are not tested “and therefore not confirmed” in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo due to limited diagnostic capacity.
The World Health Organization indicated that the ongoing outbreak of the disease is due to several types of the virus, including the “Clad LB” variant, which is spreading mainly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries.
Imported travel-related cases due to the “Clad LB” variant were also detected. There was a secondary transmission of these cases outside Africa, and most of them were among adults who traveled during the incubation period of the disease or were suffering from early symptoms, and were diagnosed upon their arrival in other countries, according to the organization.
The new variant was first detected in South Kivu, one of the provinces Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and is estimated to have appeared around mid-September 2023, according to a previous report from the World Health Organization.
Travel-related cases highlight the challenges posed by capacity Different monitoring and reporting methods in countries. Limited resources and difficulty accessing diagnostic tests can lead to under-reporting or delayed detection of cases, warns the World Health Organization.
It is noteworthy that China announced last Thursday that it had detected a new mutated sub-strain of monkeypox, which began infecting a foreigner – with a history of travel and residence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Monkeypox is spread by close contact and causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled sores. Although the disease is usually mild, it may cause death in rare cases.
Last August, the World Health Organization declared a public health emergency in the world for the second time in two years due to monkeypox after its outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its spread to neighboring countries.