Editing Mpox (section)

===2023–2024 Central Africa outbreak===
{{Main|2023–2024 mpox epidemic}}
During 2023, a clade I outbreak of mpox disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo resulted in 14,626 suspected cases being reported, with 654 associated deaths, making for a case-fatality rate of 4.5%. The outbreak continued into 2024, with 3,576 suspected mpox cases and 265 deaths reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo through the first nine weeks of the year, making for an estimated CFR of 7.4%.<ref name="drcmpox">{{cite news | vauthors = Van Beusekom M |title=More than 600 dead in spreading DR Congo mpox outbreak as Republic of Congo reports its first cases |url=https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/mpox/more-600-dead-spreading-dr-congo-mpox-outbreak-republic-congo-reports-its-first-cases |access-date=19 March 2024 |publisher=[[Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy]] (CIDRAP) |date=16 March 2024 |archive-date=19 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319082039/https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/mpox/more-600-dead-spreading-dr-congo-mpox-outbreak-republic-congo-reports-its-first-cases |url-status=live }}</ref>

Transmission of the virus in the outbreak appears to be primarily through sexual and close familial contact, with cases occurring in areas without a history of mpox, such as [[South Kivu]] and [[Kinshasa]]. An estimated 64% of the cases and 85% of fatalities have occurred in children. The outbreak consists of two separate sub-variants of clade I, with one of the sub-variants having a novel mutation, making detection with standard assays unreliable.<ref name="drcmpox" /><ref>{{cite news | vauthors = Stawiska Z |title=Deadly Mpox Transmission in DR Congo Happening Under Radar; Most Victims are Children |url=https://healthpolicy-watch.news/deadlly-mpox-transmission-in-dr-congo-happening-under-radar-children-main-victims/ |access-date=6 August 2024 |agency=Health Policy Watch |date=13 March 2024 |archive-date=15 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815030810/https://healthpolicy-watch.news/deadlly-mpox-transmission-in-dr-congo-happening-under-radar-children-main-victims/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The outbreak spread to the neighbouring country of the [[Republic of Congo|Republic of the Congo]], with 43 cases reported in March 2024.<ref name="drcmpox" /> By August 2024, the outbreak spread further into central and southern Africa with cases of clade I and clade II strains reported in [[Burundi]], [[Rwanda]], [[Uganda]], [[Kenya]], [[Côte d'Ivoire]], and [[South Africa]].<ref name="cohen">{{cite news | vauthors = Cohen J |title=Deadlier strain of mpox spreads to multiple African countries |url=https://www.science.org/content/article/deadlier-strain-mpox-spreads-more-african-countries |access-date=5 August 2024 |agency=Science |date=3 August 2024 |archive-date=15 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240815030815/https://www.science.org/content/article/deadlier-strain-mpox-spreads-more-african-countries |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":1">{{cite web |date=5 August 2024 |title=WHO considers public health emergency as mpox cases mount in Africa |url=https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/mpox/who-considers-public-health-emergency-mpox-cases-mount-africa |access-date=6 August 2024 |website= [[Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy]] (CIDRAP) |archive-date=6 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806202217/https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/mpox/who-considers-public-health-emergency-mpox-cases-mount-africa |url-status=live }}</ref>

The WHO declared a global health emergency in August 2024.<ref name="MSN 20240814" /><ref name="WHO PR 20240814" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/14/health/mpox-who-emergency-africa.html |title=W.H.O. Declares Global Emergency over New Mpox Outbreak |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=14 August 2024 |archive-date=14 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814174239/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/14/health/mpox-who-emergency-africa.html |url-status=live | vauthors = Mandavilli A |date=14 August 2024 }}</ref> [[Sweden]] became the first non-African country to report a case of clade I mpox.<ref name=":5">{{cite news |title=Sweden confirms first case of mpox strain outside Africa |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/15/sweden-confirms-first-case-of-mpox-strain-outside-africa |access-date=16 August 2024 |agency=Al Jazeera |date=15 August 2024}}</ref> A case of mpox was confirmed in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pakistan registers 1st case of mpox | date=16 August 2024 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-registers-1st-case-of-mpox/a-69957813 |access-date=7 September 2024 |website=DW }}</ref>