A dangerous new strain of mpox that’s particularly lethal in children is spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo and could spread internationally, health experts and the World Health Organization have warned, sparking fears another global outbreak looms after the virus burst onto the world stage two years ago.
There are two types of virus that can cause mpox infections—genetically distinguished in groups called clades—which can cause symptoms like fever, chills, fatigue and a characteristic pus filled rash. Experts said the variant spreading in the DRC has a death rate of around 5% in adults and 10% in children and has caused an alarming number of miscarriages among infected pregnant people and John Claude Udahemuka, a lecturer at the University of Rwanda described it as “undoubtedly the most dangerous of all the known strains of mpox, considering how it is transmitted, how it is spread” and symptoms.