An official website of the United States government
08/09/2024: Lab Advisory: CDC Issues Alert for Mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo with Spread to Neighboring Countries
Audience: Clinical Laboratory Professionals
Level: Laboratory Advisory
On August 7, 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Health Alert Network (HAN) Health Update about the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The first Health Advisory about this outbreak was released in December 2023.
Since January 2023, the DRC has reported the largest number of yearly suspected clade I mpox cases on record. While clade I monkeypox virus (MPXV) is endemic, or naturally occurring, in DRC, the current outbreak is more widespread than any previous DRC outbreak and has resulted in clade I mpox transmission to some neighboring countries. The Republic of the Congo declared a clade I mpox outbreak in April 2024, and there have been confirmed cases in the Central African Republic. In late July 2024, Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda reported confirmed cases of mpox. Mpox is not known to be endemic in these countries. No cases of clade I mpox have been reported outside central and eastern Africa at this time.
Due to the limited number of travelers and lack of direct commercial flights from DRC or its neighboring countries to the United States, the risk of clade I mpox importation to the United States is considered to be very low. CDC is helping communities monitor the presence of both clades of MPXV in wastewater samples.
Please review the HAN for more information, including recommendations for clinicians, health departments, laboratories, and the public.
We encourage you to share this message widely with your network(s).
Opt in to receive updates from the CDC Laboratory Outreach Communication System.
Online Resources
- About Mpox | Mpox | Poxvirus | CDC
- Mpox Caused by Human-to-Human Transmission of Monkeypox Virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo with Spread to Neighboring Countries | HAN
- Mpox Rapid Risk Assessment | CDC
- U.S. Mpox Wastewater Data | National Wastewater Surveillance System | CDC
Questions?
- If you are a clinical or public health laboratory professional, contact LOCS.
- For media inquiries, contact the CDC Newsroom.
- For all other questions, contact CDC-INFO.
Thank you,
The Laboratory Outreach Communication System
Laboratory Outreach Communication System (LOCS) | Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS)
Center for Laboratory Systems and Response (CLSR)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)