Mpox Cases Increase By 160% In Africa, Report Says

The AP (8/1, Koena, Cheng) says, “The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report released Wednesday that mpox...has now been detected in 10 African countries this year including Congo, which has more than 96% of all cases and deaths.” Officials “said mpox cases have spiked by 160% so far this year” and “nearly 70% of cases in Congo are in children younger than 15, who also accounted for 85% of deaths.” While previous mpox outbreaks resulted in lesions “on the chest, hands and feet, the new form of mpox causes milder symptoms and lesions mostly on the genitals, making it harder to spot.”