Geneva, Switzerland — The World Health Organization (WHO) raised concerns over limited mpox testing capacity in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the epicenter of the ongoing international emergency. In its latest situation report released on Saturday, the UN health agency noted that testing coverage remains low due to inadequate resources in the country.
"Testing coverage in the DRC remains low, primarily due to limited testing capacity," the WHO stated, adding that the case fatality ratio for mpox in 2024 stood at 0.5% among confirmed cases, with 25 deaths from 5,160 cases, and 3.3% among suspected cases, accounting for 717 deaths from 21,835 cases.
The WHO further highlighted that only around 40% of suspected mpox cases in the DRC had been tested this year, a marked increase from 9% in 2023. Of those tested, 55% have returned positive results. The limited access to laboratory testing, particularly in remote areas, is cited as a key factor contributing to these figures.
The DRC continues to report the highest number of suspected mpox cases globally, followed by Burundi with 1,489 suspected cases and no deaths, and Nigeria with 935 suspected cases and no fatalities.
Mpox, which includes two main clades (each with subclades a and b), affects different regions and populations, requiring tailored outbreak responses. The WHO declared an international emergency over mpox on August 14, following a surge in cases of the new Clade 1b strain in the DRC, which has spread to neighboring countries.
Clade 1b has been predominantly detected in the eastern provinces of South Kivu and North Kivu, as well as in the capital province of Kinshasa. However, the WHO noted that the current sequencing capacity in the DRC is limited, suggesting that the clade's distribution could be broader than currently reported.
In addition to the DRC, Clade 1b has also been identified in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. Cases have been reported in Sweden and Thailand, with a single case detected in each country.
On the global front, more than 3.6 million vaccine doses have been pledged for the mpox response. This includes over 620,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine from European countries, the United States, and Bavarian Nordic, the vaccine manufacturer. Japan has committed to providing 3 million doses of the LC16 vaccine. To date, 265,000 MVA-BN doses have been delivered to Kinshasa, with an additional 10,000 doses sent to Nigeria.