New form of mpox that may spread more easily found in Congo’s biggest outbreak

Congo is struggling to contain its biggest mpox outbreak, as scientists say a new form of the disease detected in a mining town might spread more easily among people.

A New Phase of Monkeypox Emerges

Since January, Congo has reported more than 4,500 suspected mpox cases and nearly 300 deaths, numbers that have roughly tripled from the same period last year, according to the World Health Organization. Congo recently declared the outbreak across the country a health emergency.

An analysis of patients hospitalized between October and January in Kamituga, eastern Congo,…