The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is grappling with a severe Mpox outbreak, with over 14,000 reported cases and 511 deaths since the beginning of the year. The virus has now spread to previously unaffected provinces and neighboring countries, including Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda.
“The current outbreak in the Eastern DRC is caused by a new offshoot of clade 1, called clade 1b, which causes more severe disease than clade 2,” explained Dr. Tedros. WHO has initiated a regional response plan, requiring $15 million to support surveillance, preparedness, and response activities. The organization has already released $1 million from its Contingency Fund for Emergencies and plans to allocate more in the coming days.
To combat the outbreak, WHO is working with governments, NGOs, civil society, and international partners to ensure equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics.
