A new strain of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is spreading quickly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and some experts are calling it the most dangerous strain of the disease yet. Lab testing found the strain appears to have mutations that allow it to spread more easily among people, the BBC reports. In earlier outbreaks, most cases were sexually transmitted, but Director of Global Health Network at Oxford University Trudie Lang says that in an "incredibly worrying" change, the new strain is spreading through touch in settings like workplaces and schools, the Telegraph reports.
Researchers say the strain has caused an "alarming number" of miscarriages. The death rate is estimated to be 5% among adults and 10% among children. So far, cases have only been detected in the eastern DRC, but the World Health Organization says there is "a renewed risk of cross-border and international spread which may potentially lead to an increased risk of severe illness." Lang warns that current case numbers could be the "tip of the iceberg." Symptoms include fever, eye problems, and lesions over the whole body, but researchers are worried that people with asymptomatic cases could be spreading the strain.
The outbreak that spread to Europe and the US in 2022 was caused by the Clade II virus, the BBC reports. Researchers say the new strain is from the deadlier Clade I. "It's undoubtedly the most dangerous of all the known strains of mpox, considering how it is transmitted, how it is spread, and also the symptoms," John Claude Udahemuka at the University of Rwanda tells the Guardian. He says countries should be prepared for the spread of the mpox strain and learn how to detect it early. (More monkeypox stories.)
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