A new form of mpox that may spread more easily found in Congo’s biggest outbreak

By MARIA CHENG and CHRISTINA MALKIA
Associated Press

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Scientists say a new form of mpox detected in a mining town in Congo might more easily spread among people. Already, Congo is seeing its biggest mpox outbreak with more than 4,500 suspected infections and nearly 300 deaths. A new study that will be submitted to a journal for publication soon looked at patients hospitalized between October and January in Kamitgua, eastern Congo. The lead researcher says the new form has milder lesions and they’re mostly on the genitals, which makes the disease trickier to diagnose. The World Health Organization says this mutation of the disease might require a new testing strategy to pick up the mutations.