654 Mpox Fatalities Reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Various reports suggest that Africa's mpox Clade 1 outbreak has recently intensified. As of mid-March, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Eurosurveillance, and the World Health Organization released updated mpox outbreak figures for 2024.

These reports revealed 14,626 suspected cases for the last year, with 654 fatalities. This equates to a case-fatality rate (CFR) of 4.5%.

Separately, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America estimated the CFR to be approximately 7.4% in the DRC.

Despite this concerning situation, limited genomic information is available on the circulating mpox viruses, which suggests that they belong to Clade I. 

This finding demonstrates that mpox transmission through sexual contact may extend beyond clade IIb, says the CDC.

During a digital briefing on March 14, 2024, Agam Rao, MD CAPT, U.S. Public Health Service, reconfirmed the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended on October 25, 2023, vaccination with the 2-dose JYNNEOS® (MVA-BN®, IMVAMUNE®) vaccine series for persons aged 18 years and older at risk for mpox.

Since the Clade 2 outbreak began in May 2022, the overall vaccine coverage in the U.S. for one dose is 40%, and for two doses, it is 25%.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration initially approved JYNNEOS for smallpox in 2019. JYNNEOS remains available in the U.S. at specific clinics and community pharmacies.