Mpox cases in Congo's epicentre may be 'plateauing,' WHO says

Mpox cases in Congo appear to be "plateauing" where a new variant was first detected, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

The UN health body said in a situation report that the number of mpox infections “shows a general rising trend, driven mainly by cases reported from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Uganda," but that they appear to be plateauing in South Kivu.

That region of Congo is where the most infectious form of mpox was first identified this year as it spread among sex workers and miners.

WHO also said it would convene an expert meeting next week to determine if mpox still constitutes an international emergency.

Mpox is spread through close skin-to-skin contact with infected people or their soiled clothes or bedsheets. Those with the disease often have visible skin lesions.

Mpox testing is still not widespread, the WHO said in its report, so it's hard to know exactly how the virus is spreading.

In August, WHO declared the rapid spread of mpox in Congo and elsewhere in Africa a global health emergency.

There are more than 46,000 cases of mpox and 1,081 deaths from the virus throughout the continent.

Roughly 50,000 people in Congo have been immunised against mpox, but 3 million vaccines are needed to stop the outbreak, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cases still present in the UK, Burundi, Uganda

Last week, Britain announced the first instance of the more infectious kind of mpox spreading beyond Africa.

It identified mpox in a person who had recently travelled to Africa and in three of their household contacts. All the individuals are currently being treated in two London hospitals.

In Burundi, 200 new cases are being reported of the new mpox variant every week in young children and adults. The new variant there causes less severe symptoms, so those who are infected might not realise they are spreading it.

The virus is also spreading to adults in Uganda mostly through sex, the WHO said. That country reported 100 new cases last week.

In Uganda, which reported 100 new cases last week, WHO said the virus is spreading mostly through sex, with the vast majority of cases in adults.