GENEVA, Switzerland: The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concerns about low mpox testing coverage in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the epicenter of the global outbreak.
According to the WHO’s latest situation report, the DRC faces limited testing capacity, particularly in remote areas. As a result, only about 40% of suspected cases have been tested in 2024, an improvement from 9% in 2023. Of those tested, approximately 55% returned positive results.
In 2024, the DRC recorded a case fatality ratio of 0.5% among confirmed cases, with 25 deaths from 5,160 confirmed cases. Among suspected cases, the fatality ratio was much higher at 3.3%, translating to 717 deaths out of 21,835 cases. The lack of laboratory testing, especially in rural areas, has contributed to the disparity between confirmed and suspected cases.
The outbreak in the DRC is primarily linked to the Clade 1b strain of the virus, which has been detected in the eastern provinces of South Kivu and North Kivu, as well as the capital province of Kinshasa. Neighboring countries, including Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda, have also reported cases of the Clade 1b strain, and isolated cases have surfaced in Sweden and Thailand.
Globally, efforts to combat the mpox outbreak have seen more than 3.6 million vaccine doses pledged, with 265,000 MVA-BN doses delivered to Kinshasa. Countries like Japan and the United States have also contributed vaccines to support the global response.
The WHO continues to call for tailored and localized outbreak responses, given the geographical differences in mpox spread and strain variations. The organization declared an international emergency over mpox on August 14 due to the rising cases in the DRC and its spread to other nations.
