The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the registration of about 14,700 confirmed monkeypox cases, including 66 deaths, across 20 African countries from January 2024 to January 5, 2025.
The confirmed cases represent only a portion of the suspected cases, according to the WHO. The organization had previously said that a significant number of suspected monkeypox cases are not being tested, and thus, not confirmed, particularly in countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, due to limited diagnostic capabilities.
The WHO pointed out that the ongoing outbreak is related to multiple strains of the virus, including the “Clade LB” variant, which primarily spreads in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries.
The WHO also remarked that imported cases associated with travel have been observed due to the “Clade LB” variant, with secondary transmission of these cases occurring outside of Africa.
These imported cases were mostly among adults who travelled during the incubation period of the disease or were showing early symptoms. They were diagnosed upon arrival in other countries.
The new variant was first found in South Kivu, one of the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and it is estimated to have emerged around mid-September 2023, according to a previous WHO report.