Alarm over high mortality and miscarriage rates as mutated virus spreads in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

A dangerous strain of mpox that is killing children and causing miscarriages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most transmissible yet and could spread internationally, scientists have warned.

The virus appears to be spreading from person to person via both sexual and non-sexual contact, in places ranging from brothels to schools.

Hundreds of people with the disease, formerly known as monkeypox, have attended hospital in the mining town of Kamituga, South Kivu province, in what is likely to be the “tip of the iceberg” of a larger outbreak, doctors say.

The new DRC outbreak is a mutated form of clade I mpox. Doctors report a fatality rate of about 5% in adults and 10% in children, as well as high rates of miscarriages among pregnant women.

  • BrightCandleEnglish
    13•3 days ago

    A bunch of research into Covid and how it propagates in the air has found that higher CO2 concentrations allow viruses to survive longer. This is a part of why we are seeing increased risk of infections.

    • @ForfadenEnglish
      3•3 days ago

      I thought CO2 concentration was just an analog for measuring air circulation and how often the air is vented outside and therefore how many viruses would be in the air

      But nope you’re right! Higher CO2 concentrations keep airborne viruses viable for longer. That’s wild Here’s the first result when I looked it up: https://www.bristol.ac.uk/cabot/news/2024/virus.html