WHO, scientists says new mpox strian must be addressed urgently, Reuters says

The World Health Organization said that mpox spread in Africa must be addressed urgently, as scientists warned separately of a harmful strain in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Reuters reports. “There is a critical need to address the recent surge in mpox cases in Africa,” Rosamund Lewis, the WHO’s technical lead for mpox, told journalists in a briefing note. In a different briefing, John Claude Udahemuka of the University of Rwanda said the strain spreading in Congo’s South Kivu province was extremely dangerous, the author says, noting that the strain has fatality rates of roughly 5% in adults and 10% in children. Shares of Siga Technologies, wose lead product is an antiviral drug for the treatment of human smallpox disease, are up 2.1% after the news.