New Mpox Outbreak Includes Children

An observational, cross-sectional cohort study was published on March 5, 2024, investigating the source of an ongoing mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The study also evaluated how the mpox virus (MPXV) clade I spread in the city of Kamituga. This non-peer-reviewed study included data from 2022 to January 2024.

These researchers reported a staggering 21,630 suspected MPXV cases and 1,003 deaths. Around 85% of the deaths recorded during this period were children under 15 years of age.

This MPXV clade I outbreak marks an important change as transmission routes now appear to be expanding to include heterosexual activity, wrote these researchers.

The DRC reported the first mpox MPXV clade I cases in humans in 1970.

"The mpox situation in the DRC is deeply alarming, and the lack of tests for both mpox and HIV means it's unclear just how bad the mpox situation is and what the underlying comorbidities are," said Dr. Ayoade Alakija, who is Chair of the Board at FIND, in a press release on March 12, 2024.

The May 2022 MPVX clade II global outbreak caused global concern, primarily among men. The outbreak caused 93,497 cases in 118 locations.

As of March 5, 2024, there have been 32,063 confirmed mpox cases and 58 deaths in the U.S.

Throughout the clade II outbreak, the JYNNEOS® ((MVA-BN®, IMVAMUNE®) vaccine has been deployed in most impacted countries.

On December 7, 2023, the U.S. CDC published a Health Alert Network Health Advisory stating that JYNNEOS is expected to have similar vaccine effectiveness (VE) against MPXV clade I, as seen with clade II.

The CDC's vaccine committee reported in October 2023 that JYNNEOS's VE against mpox clade II ranges from 36%–75% for 1-dose vaccination and 66%–89% for 2-dose vaccination. 

The European CDC reported in December 2023 that real-world JYNNEOS VE data is lacking.