Sun Sep 15 01:39:24 UTC 2024: ## Mpox Testing Coverage Remains Critically Low in DRC, Limiting Response Efforts

**KINSHASA, DRC** – The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed concern over the limited testing capacity for mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which remains the epicenter of the international emergency. Despite the ongoing outbreak, only a fraction of suspected cases are being tested, hindering efforts to understand and contain the spread of the disease.

According to the latest WHO situation report, only about 40% of suspected mpox cases in the DRC have been tested in 2024, an increase from 9% in 2023. However, this remains alarmingly low, with limited access to laboratory testing in remote areas being a key factor.

The WHO highlights that the case fatality rate for confirmed cases in the DRC is 0.5%, with 25 deaths out of 5,160 cases. However, the rate for suspected cases, both tested and untested, stands at 3.3%, indicating 717 deaths out of 21,835 suspected cases. This suggests that the actual number of cases and fatalities could be significantly higher.

The DRC, alongside Burundi and Nigeria, are reporting the highest number of suspected cases, with the DRC experiencing the highest number of deaths.

The WHO emphasizes the importance of tailored and locally adapted outbreak responses, as different clades of mpox are circulating in various geographic areas and affecting different populations. Notably, Clade 1b, detected primarily in the DRC’s eastern provinces, has spread to neighboring countries, including Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Sweden, and Thailand.

Despite the ongoing emergency, the WHO reports that over 3.6 million doses of mpox vaccines have been pledged for the global response, with over 620,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine being contributed by European countries, the United States, and manufacturer Bavarian Nordic. Japan has also pledged 3 million doses of the LC16 vaccine.

However, vaccine distribution remains a challenge, with only 265,000 MVA-BN doses delivered to Kinshasa and 10,000 to Nigeria.

The WHO’s report underscores the critical need to improve testing capacity and ensure equitable vaccine distribution to effectively address the mpox emergency, particularly in the DRC, where the outbreak remains a significant threat.

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