Nearly 92,000 cases and 167 deaths from monkeypox in the past 2 years

A surge in monkeypox cases last year in Europe and the United States prompted the WHO to declare a public health emergency of international concern, its highest level of alert, in July 2022. The WHO lifted the status in May this year but warned people to remain vigilant.

According to the WHO, the global outbreak of monkeypox has mainly involved men who have sex with men and those with multiple sexual partners. Initial symptoms of the disease include fever, headache, muscle pain and back pain for 5 days.

The patient then develops a rash on the face, palms of the hands and soles of the feet, followed by painful lesions, blotches and finally scabbing. Patients usually recover within 2-4 weeks. The disease is most severe in children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems.

The disease is currently spreading rapidly in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to WHO, since the beginning of the year, Congo has recorded 12,569 cases of monkeypox and 581 deaths. This is the highest number of patients with this disease in a year in Congo to date. The first case of monkeypox in humans in Congo was identified in 1970. The disease is mainly circulating in some countries in West and Central Africa, due to the virus being transmitted from infected animals to humans.

WHO said 22 of Congo’s 26 provinces have reported cases, with new cases in areas where the disease has never been seen before, including Kinshasa, Lualaba and South Kivu. WHO experts are concerned about the risk of transmission of a new variant and are working with Congo’s Ministry of Health to assess the situation.