PARIS, Oct 7* — As the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) initiates a vaccination campaign in response to a resurgence of mpox, AFP reviews the virus's history.
First detected in humans in 1970 in the DRC (then Zaire), mpox, originally known as Monkeypox, spreads through close contact and can cause fever, muscle pain, and painful lesions. Discovered in a monkey in 1958, it is related to, but far less severe than, smallpox, which was eradicated in 1980. In November 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the name “mpox” to reduce stigma.
*Key Events:*
- *1970:* The first human case of mpox is reported in the DRC.
- *2003:* The disease spreads outside Africa for the first time in the U.S., linked to imported rodents.
- *2017:* A significant outbreak occurs in Nigeria, with over 200 confirmed cases and a 3% fatality rate.
- *May 2022:* Clade 2 of the virus spreads globally, particularly affecting gay and bisexual men. The WHO declares a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in July.
- *May 2023:* After a decline in cases, the WHO lifts the emergency status, reporting 140 deaths among approximately 87,400 cases.
- *2024:* A new epidemic emerges in the DRC, featuring clade 1, which affects children, and a new strain called clade 1b. The WHO declares another international emergency in August. The DRC has recorded over 30,000 cases and 988 deaths this year.
Vaccination campaigns began in Rwanda on September 17, with the DRC starting its campaign on October 5. The DRC has received 265,000 vaccine doses from the EU and the U.S., with plans for the U.S. to donate one million more doses to African nations.
