Why is Congo struggling to contain mpox?

Health authorities have struggled to contain outbreaks of mpox in Congo, a huge central African country where a myriad of existing problems makes stemming the spread particularly hard. Last month, the World Health Organization declared the outbreaks in Congo and about a dozen other African countries a global health emergency. And in Congo, scientists have identified a new strain of mpox that may spread more easily. It has reached areas where conflict and the displacement of a large number of people have already put health services under pressure. Overall, Congo has nearly 27,000 of the 30,852 confirmed and suspected mpox cases in Africa this year. That’s according to WHO’s most recent count. Health authorities have struggled to contain outbreaks of mpox in Congo, a huge central African country where a myriad of existing problems makes stemming the spread particularly hard. Last month, the World Health Organization declared the outbreaks in Congo and about a dozen other African countries a global health emergency. And in Congo, scientists have identified a new strain of mpox that may spread more easily. It has reached areas where conflict and the displacement of a large number of people have already put health services under pressure. Overall, Congo has nearly 27,000 of the 30,852 confirmed and suspected mpox cases in Africa this year. That’s according to WHO’s most recent count.  AP Technology and Science

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