preprint · medRxiv
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is experiencing an ongoing mpox outbreak, with over 30,000 suspected cases between January 2023 and August 2024. While zoonotic transmission has historically driven these numbers, the emergence of Clade Ib monkeypox virus (MPXV) is now contributing to increased public health challenges in eastern DRC due to its association with sustained human-to-human transmission. This Clade Ib has also been found in non-endemic East African countries. The research reports the first introductions of Clade Ib into North Kivu province, including within internal displacement camps. Transmission in these areas involves close contact, including non-intimate contacts and children, highlighting the need for public health campaigns to consider these transmission routes.
This research highlights a concerning shift in the mpox outbreak dynamics in the DRC, with the spread of a more transmissible Clade Ib. Understanding these new transmission patterns, especially among children and non-intimate contacts, is crucial for developing effective public health interventions and containment strategies to protect vulnerable populations and control the outbreak.
The abstract focuses on epidemiological findings and public health implications, and does not indicate an application pathway for commercialisation.
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The ongoing national mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has resulted in more >30,000 suspected cases in the country from January 2023 to August 2024. While these historic case totals have been driven by primarily by zoonosis, the emergence of Clade Ib monkeypox virus (MPXV), which is connected to more sustained human-to-human transmission, has been associated with increasing public health impacts in eastern DRC. First identified in South Kivu province, Clade Ib MPXV has been identified in multiple non-endemic East African countries for the first time. In DRC, there have been concerns over broader Clade Ib expansion in the country that could further complicate containment and mitigation responses. Here, we report the first introductions of Clade Ib into North Kivu province, including within internal displacement camps, with suspected close contact transmission that includes non-intimate contacts and children. These findings demonstrate that mpox case investigations and community messaging campaigns should include considerations for non-sexual contact-mediated transmission of Clade Ib that includes children <15 years.
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DOI: 10.1101/2024.09.12.24313188
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