New form of mpox that may spread more easily found amid Congo's outbreak
Scientists say a new form of mpox found amid an outbreak in Congo may spread more easily among people. The Democratic Republic of Congo has had more than 4,500 suspected cases of mpox and some 300 deaths since January. The country recently declared the outbreak a health emergency. An analysis of patients hospitalised between October and January in Kamituga, eastern Congo, suggests recent genetic mutations in mpox are the result of its continued transmission in humans. Dr Placide Mbala-Kingebeni, the lead researcher of the study, said "we’re in a new phase of mpox". Mbala-Kingebeni heads a lab ...