Summary: A new form of mpox is spreading in sub-Saharan Africa, with cases in more than a dozen countries and more than 500 deaths reported. The World Health Organization on Aug. 14 declared the situation a global health emergency, noting a shortage of vaccines in Africa and the significant risk of the virus, which was previously known as monkeypox, spreading further in Africa and beyond.
Dr. Chris Beyrer, director of the Duke Global Health Institute, says there is a critical need for vaccines and international assistance to control the mpox crisis. Social and political instability in the region where the virus is currently spreading, predominantly in the South Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), will complicate efforts to stop the virus’s spread, he says.
Quotes:
“There is a political and human rights dimension to this outbreak,” says Dr. Chris Beyrer, director of the Duke Global Health Institute and an epidemiologist who studies infectious diseases in Africa and other parts of the world. Beyrer has served on an ad hoc committee on Mpox for the WHO.
“The South Kivu region is an active conflict zone between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, with multiple militias occupying the area. It is also a locus of legal and illegal mining activity, and the majority of mpox cases in the region are among miners and sex workers who congregate around mining communities. Sex workers often travel from other countries in the region, increasing the risks that the virus will move into new areas.”
“All of this complicates the situation and will hugely challenge both WHO and the Africa CDC in responding. I think these dimensions get lost in much of the reporting but are important to understanding why Kivu and why now.”
Bio:
Dr. Chris Beyrer is director of the Duke Global Health Institute and an epidemiologist who studies infectious diseases in Africa and other parts of the world. Beyrer has served on an ad hoc committee on mpox for the WHO.
For additional comment, contact Dr. Chris Beyrer at:
chris.beyrer@duke.edu
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Media Contact:
Michael Penn
(919) 681-7718
m.penn@duke.edu
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