New Mpox Variant in Africa Sparks Global Health Concerns

A newly emerged strain of mpox is driving a rapidly expanding outbreak in Central Africa, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to convene an emergency committee this week to assess whether the situation constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

The outbreak, centered in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is caused by a novel Clade Ib variant of the mpox virus—distinct from the strains responsible for the global outbreak in 2022. Since August 2025, more than 2,500 suspected cases and over 80 deaths have been reported in the DRC, with confirmed transmission now detected in neighboring Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda.

This new variant shows increased transmissibility through routine close contact and has been associated with atypical symptoms, including cases with minimal or no skin lesions, complicating clinical diagnosis and potentially enabling undetected spread.

Unlike the 2022 global outbreak—which primarily spread through sexual networks among men who have sex with men—the current outbreak appears driven by zoonotic spillover and sustained human-to-human transmission in both urban and rural communities with limited healthcare access. Children under 15 account for a significant proportion of cases.

In response, WHO and partner organizations have begun deploying limited supplies of the MVA-BN vaccine (JYNNEOS®) to high-risk areas in the DRC. Diagnostic tools and antiviral treatments, including tecovirimat (TPOXX), are also being distributed to affected regions, though vaccine and resource shortages remain a major challenge.

The WHO emergency committee is expected to issue a recommendation by November 25 on whether to declare a PHEIC—a designation that would mobilize international coordination and additional support.

As surveillance efforts intensify, countries outside Africa are being advised to monitor for potential imported cases and ensure diagnostic and response readiness.