CDC, WHO Weigh Stronger Mpox Warnings Following Spread Of New Strain

NBC News (8/5, Edwards) reports the CDC “is poised to warn doctors in the United States about” potential mpox cases as a deadlier form of the virus “has spread beyond the borders of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa.” The agency has said it will release updated information in the coming days, while the World Health Organization is also “examining whether the latest outbreak should be declared a global public health emergency.” Though previous mpox outbreaks “mainly affected men who have sex with men,” the current strain, named clade 1b, “is worrisome because of its virulence.” Almost “4% of clade 1b mpox cases are deadly, compared to less than 1% of the 2022 subtype, called clade 2b,” with children accounting “for 62% of mpox deaths in Congo, according to the WHO.”