A concerning strain of the monkeypox virus has spread rapidly across Central Africa in the past few months. The outbreak prompted the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to declare its first-ever public-health emergency on 13 August, and the World Health Organization (WHO) is meeting on 14 August to consider a global declaration. The moves reflect scientists' deep worry that the outbreak of mpox, the disease caused by the monkeypox virus, could evolve into an epidemic that spreads across the continent ' and possibly beyond. They note that the virus is making an alarming appearance not just in rural regions, but also in densely populated areas. During the past month, mpox infections have surged in Central Africa, affecting locations including Bukavu, a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has more than 1 million residents, and four countries in the region have reported mpox infections for the first time. These infections are probably...
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