CDC issues warning on severe mpox strain, ongoing outbreaks

On August 7, 2024, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, the Director General for the World Health Organization, published a statement on X announcing plans to convene an emergency committee under the International Health Regulations to discuss whether recent outbreaks of mpox warrant declaring a public health emergency. Shortly after this announcement, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published an official update through the Health Alert Network on mpox spread and the recent strains implicated in the outbreaks.

The advisory builds on information released by the CDC in December 2023 on the outbreak of the mpox virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). These outbreaks have been linked to clade I mpox.

According to the CDC, the DRC has recorded the largest annual number of suspected clade I mpox cases. Between 2016 and 2021, the median number of yearly clade I mpox cases was 3,767; however, since January 1, 2023, there have been over 22,000 suspected cases, which have contributed to over 1,200 deaths.

Clade I mpox naturally occurs in the DRC; however, the current outbreak in this area has put neighboring areas at risk. For example, in April 2024, clade I mpox cases were reported in the Central African Republic and the Republic of Congo. Additionally, in July 2024, cases were reported in Rwanda and Uganda. While not confirmed as clade I, health officials suspect that the mpox cases identified in Burundi are clade I due to the country’s proximity to the DRC.

Although the CDC acknowledges concerns about the disease's spread and the risk of transmission, the organization maintains that the risks in the US are limited because of the limited number of travelers or direct commercial flights from the DRC or surrounding areas to the US.

However, the CDC advises clinicians and public health professionals in the US to remain vigilant for mpox when interacting with individuals that have recently been in the DRC or the surrounding countries, including the Republic of Congo, Angola, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic.