Good morning. A new outbreak of mpox, a highly contagious disease which has killed more than 500 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo this year, has now been declared a global public health emergency. Cases have been identified in more than a dozen countries in Africa, with 96% in DRC. Last week, Sweden confirmed a case of the more contagious variant of the disease, the first identified outside Africa. Another case has since been reported in Pakistan.
While those cases have inevitably raised concerns about the further spread of the disease, it remains the case that those in the DRC and neighbouring countries are most at risk – and are facing a severe challenge in securing urgently needed vaccines.
