Largest study of its kind reveals new insights into Clade Ib of mpox and challenges early fears

https://www.itg.be/en/health-stories/press-releases/mpox-clade-ib-study

The Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp has secured an additional €2 million from Belgium’s Directorate-General for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid to bolster research and containment of the mpox virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This funding comes as the new Clade Ib variant of mpox, recently identified in several African nations, was detected outside Africa for the first time in Sweden on August 15, 2024, heightening concerns of a potential global spread.

Researchers from the Congolese National Institute of Biomedical Research and Antwerp's Institute of Tropical Medicine identified a mutated mpox virus strain during an outbreak in Kamituga, a populous mining town in the DRC. This new variant, primarily transmitted through sexual contact, poses a risk of spreading to neighboring countries, prompting the World Health Organization to urge immediate action.