Africa CDC likely to declare mpox public health emergency next week

Africa’s public health agency is set to declare an mpox emergency as early as next week, saying the viral infection’s rate of spread is alarming, as a new variant moves across Democratic Republic of Congo’s borders.

Mpox is transmitted through close contact and causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. Most cases are mild but it can kill.

The new variant, known as Clade Ib and circulating mostly in Congo, appears to spread more easily through routine close contact, as seems to be the case among children.

The Africa Centres for Disease…