Sustained human outbreak of a new MPXV clade I lineage in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Outbreaks of monkeypox (mpox) have historically resulted from zoonotic spillover of clade I monkeypox virus (MPXV) in Central Africa and clade II MPXV in West Africa. In 2022, subclade IIb caused a global epidemic linked to transmission through sexual contact. Here we describe the epidemiological and genomic features of an mpox outbreak in a mining region in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, caused by clade I MPXV. Surveillance data collected between September 2023 and January 2024 identified 241 suspected cases. Genomic analysis demonstrates a distinct clade I lineage divergent from previously circulating strains in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Of the 108 polymerase chain reaction-confirmed…

• UD
  U.S. Department of Defense
• UD
  U.S. Department of Agriculture

  Award: 20230048
• WH
  World Health Organization
• UO
  University of Pittsburgh
• CW
  Case Western Reserve University
• WT
  Wellcome Trust

  Awards: Z/17/Z, 206298/Z/17/Z, 206298
• ID
  Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
• ID
  International Development Research Centre

  Award: MRR-184813
• FW
  Fonds Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

  Award: G096222N
• US
  Universiteit Stellenbosch
• VR
  Vlaamse regering

  Award: G096222N
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Award: 1D43TW010937-01A1
• DT
  Defense Threat Reduction Agency
• CI
  Canadian Institutes of Health Research

  Award: MRR-184813
• NI
  National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

  Award: 5U01AI096299-13
• FI
  Fogarty International Center

  Awards: R25TW011217, 1D43TW010937-01A1, D43TW010937