Overall, in 2023, a total of 14 626 mpox cases and 654 deaths (CFR) 4.5%) were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, representing the highest figures in the recorded in the country and the highest among countries in the WHO African Region. Among these cases, 1 461 (10%) were laboratory-tested, of which 966 were positive (test positivity, 68%).
In 2024, as of 26 May, a total of 7 851 mpox cases were reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including 384 deaths (CFR 4.9%).
Mpox (monkeypox) is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). There are two known clades of MPXV: clade I, previously called the Congo Basin clade; and clade II, previously called the West Africa clade, which includes subclades IIa and clade IIb. MPXV transmits between humans through close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets or contaminated materials, or from animals to humans through contact with live animals or consumption of contaminated bushmeat.
Mpox causes signs and symptoms which usually begin within a week but can start 1–21 days after exposure. Symptoms typically last 2–4 weeks but may last longer in someone with a weakened immune system. Fever, muscle aches and sore throat appear first, followed by skin and mucosal rash. Lymphadenopathy (swollen lymph nodes) is also a typical feature of mpox, present in most cases. Children, pregnant women and people with weak immune systems are at risk of developing complications and death from mpox.
It is important to distinguish mpox from chickenpox, measles, bacterial skin infections, scabies, herpes, syphilis, other sexually transmissible infections, and medication-associated allergies. Someone with mpox may also concurrently have another sexually transmissible infection such as herpes. Alternatively, a child or adult with suspected mpox may also have chickenpox. For these reasons, laboratory testing is important for confirmation of mpox, particularly for the first cases in an outbreak or new geographic area, and implementation of relevant public health and social measures to curb transmission.
