DResearchers from the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp and the National Institute of Biomedical Research in Kinshasa have discovered a mutation in the monkeypox virus (Mpox), according to a preliminary study that has not yet been published. This strain of the virus was discovered during an outbreak in Kamituga, a mining town in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The strain appears to be primarily sexually transmitted and may spread to neighboring countries through sex workers and minors, according to the Institute of Tropical Medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling for measures to combat the spread of the virus, especially since it cannot be detected by some PCR tests.
In 2022, a variant of the monkeypox virus caused an epidemic that spread to several countries around the world, especially Belgium. However, after a few months, infection rates in Europe dropped significantly, but the virus continued to rage in Africa. So in October 2023, an epidemic broke out in the Congolese city of Kamituga. The new variant of origin has spread rapidly, especially among young people and sex workers.
“We need a new strategy”
“We urgently need a new strategy whereby monkeypox is integrated into programs to prevent AIDS and sexually transmitted infections,” said Professor Placid Mbala-Kingebeni of the INRB, one of the study’s authors, as quoted in the press release. “It is important that we focus on target groups and avoid stigmatization at all costs. »
The Institute of Tropical Medicine is closely analyzing the epidemic situation and, together with its Congolese partners, is trying to determine whether a vaccination campaign can stop this more aggressive variant. The institute also warns that without increased contact tracing and the use of vaccines, the epidemic could actually spread.
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