Best-available evidence related to the mpox outbreak

Clade I (Congo Basin clade) of the monkeypox virus, predominantly found in Central African countries, particularly the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), saw a significant surge with over 20,000 cases reported in the DRC by June 2024. On 14 August 2024, the WHO declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern due to the rapid spread of clade Ib in the eastern DRC, and in four neighbouring countries that had not previously been affected by mpox.