Democratic Republic of the Congo: a strengthened response to mpox could help revitalise the country’s healthcare system

Since 1 January 2023, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has reported over 13 000 suspected cases of mpox and more than 600 deaths, marking the region’s largest recorded outbreak.1 Cases have been documented across 22 of DRC’s 26 provinces, including major outbreaks in urban areas like Kinshasa and Goma.1 Although the clade I mpox virus has been endemic to central regions of DRC since the 1970s, a new, mutated strain of the virus known as clade Ib was reported in Kamituga in April 2024 and has alarmed global experts with its enhanced transmissibility and ability to evade detection by some tests.2 Researchers attribute the recent rise in mpox cases and spread of the new clade Ib virus to sexual transmission among key populations such as men who have sex with men.3Against this backdrop, DRC’s public health response to the mpox epidemic over the past year has faced substantial…
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