Situation Report: Mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

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Outbreak of Mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo

There is an ongoing outbreak of Mpox clade I in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Since January of this year, there have been 12,569 suspected Mpox cases, including 581 suspected Mpox deaths (a case fatality ratio of 4.6 percent). The cases have been reported in 156 health zones in 22 provinces, including Kinshasa, the capital of the DRC. 

As stated in the latest CDC Health advisory, Mpox virus has two distinct genetic clades: clade I and II, which are endemic to central and west Africa, respectively. The infections in the DRC are caused by Mpox Virus clade I, which has previously been observed to be more transmissible and to cause more severe infections than clade II. The 2022-2023 multi-country epidemic of Mpox was caused by clade II and predominately affected gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM).

While there are no known cases of clade I in the U.S., the CDC advises that clinicians should be aware of the possibility of Mpox clade I in travelers who have been in DRC. Clinicians should notify their state, jurisdictional, or local health department if they have a patient with Mpox-like symptoms and has recently traveled to the DRC.

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