Mpox outbreak could start plateauing next year, Africa CDC says

By Reuters

The number of mpox cases will continue to rise during the next four weeks before starting to show signs of flattening early next year, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday.

Mpox is a viral infection that spreads through close contact, and typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions. It is usually mild, but it can be lethal.

The World Health Organization declared a global health emergency in August, after a new mpox strain began spreading from the badly-hit Democratic Republic of Congo to neighbouring countries.

“I think with this intensification of the response, we are hoping that after about four weeks… we should see some plateauing of the outbreak as a result of all the current investment, and then towards the end of quarter one, we can then see the bending of the curve,” Ngashi Ngongo of Africa CDC told a press briefing.