WHO Reports Rapid Rise in Global Monkeypox Cases, Including Uganda's Clade 1b Strain

Sep 14, 2024, 10:35 AM

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported a rapid rise in Monkeypox (mpox) cases globally. A virulent mpox strain spreading in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has resulted in ten infections in neighboring Uganda, weeks after the disease was first detected there. Uganda's health officials confirmed that all patients have a more transmissible strain, clade 1b. France has also reported 151 mpox cases from January 1 to September 10, 2024, with eight cases in the last seven days. The first case in DRC's Lomami region was tested positive in Kampoto II. Only clade II Monkeypox viruses were detected by the Orthopoxvirus CNR in France. The WHO has authorized the first vaccine for mpox, a two-dose vaccine made by Bavarian Nordic A/S, cleared for adults aged 18 and above.