Two years after a global outbreak, fears are rife that a new strain of mpox previously known as monkeypox has been identified in DR Congo and now also in several neighboring countries with chances of further spread.

Deadlier and more transmissible than previous forms, the mpox strain surging in the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC since September, known as the Clade Ib subclade, is spread person-to-person.

The World Health Organization, WHO says it is considering convening an expert committee to advise on whether to declare an international emergency, as it did during the global mpox outbreak in 2022.