Congo monkeypox cases this year more than 10,000 variants of the virus may spread

Congo has seen more than 10,000 cases of monkeypox so far this year, and authorities have warned that cases continue to rise and that a variant of the virus is lurking and could spread to neighbouring countries.

Congolese government spokesman Jose Muyaya said Saturday there have been 11,166 suspected cases of monkeypox so far this year, including about 450 deaths, Xinhua reported. Since 2022, monkeypox cases have been reported in 23 of Congo's 26 provinces.

According to the World Health Organization, Congo has seen more than 21,000 cases and more than 1,000 deaths since 2022.

In a report released in May this year, WHO warned that the monkeypox outbreak in Congo was "of serious concern" as suspected cases continued to increase compared to previous years, especially among young people under the age of 15, who accounted for the majority of suspected cases and deaths.

The WHO said a new variant of the monkeypox virus had been detected in the eastern part of South Kivu province and was estimated to have emerged in mid-September last year, but it was unclear whether it was more contagious or caused more severe disease than other monkeypox viruses.