Mpox Outbreak: What to Know About Symptoms and Risks

Africa|What to Know About Mpox

Mpox was declared a global health emergency on Wednesday for the second time in three years, as the World Health Organization urged action on a virus spreading rapidly through more than a dozen African countries.

The outbreak is most severe in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has reported 15,600 mpox cases and 537 deaths, according to the U.N. agency. The mpox epidemic there has already proved more deadly than one in 2022, the last time an emergency was announced.

Here is what to know about mpox, which was known as monkeypox before health officials, responding to complaints about the word, recommended its current name in 2022.

What is mpox and how is it spread?

The mpox virus is endemic to Central and Western Africa. The disease is similar to smallpox but less contagious, and the virus is spread primarily through close contact with infected animals or people, and the consumption of contaminated meat.

Mpox can also be spread through sexual contact, and there is a risk of transmission to a fetus.

Who is currently being affected?

Ninety-six percent of the mpox deaths reported in June were in Congo, a country already assailed by an internal conflict and humanitarian crisis. But the disease has now been identified in 13 countries, including for the first time in the East African nations of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.

There are differences between the outbreaks in various regions and countries, depending on the circumstances in each community, according to Dr. Sylvie Jonckheere, an adviser on emerging infectious diseases for Doctors Without Borders. But they share a common feature, she said: “We do not know how to control this outbreak.”