In Congo, a desperate struggle to control the deadly mpox outbreak

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is a zoonotic virus that has long flourished in Congo’s forests. Its symptoms resemble those of smallpox: fever and pus-filled blisters on the skin. It is transmitted by contact with infected animals and intimate contact with infected people. The new strain, clade 1b, is likely to have fatality rates between 1.4% and 10%, with the rate in children at the higher end. medair, a charity running an isolation site near Goma, says 75% of cases there have been kids under 10. These children are more likely to have weaker immune systems due to malnutrition, recent cholera and measles outbreaks, and missing regular jabs.