Mpox in Central Africa: complex epidemiology requires a constellation approach
Megan Halbrook,
Jean Claude Makangara-Cigolo,
Sydney Merritt,
Nicole A. Hoff,
Laurens Lisenborghs,
Lisa E. Hensley,
Koen Vercauteren,
Placide Mbala-Kingebeni,
Anne W. Rimoin,
Jason Kindrachuk
Affiliations
Megan Halbrook
University of California Los Angeles, Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health
Jean Claude Makangara-Cigolo
Institut National de Recherche Biomedical (INRB), Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Kinshasa
Sydney Merritt
University of California Los Angeles, Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health
Nicole A. Hoff
University of California Los Angeles, Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health
Laurens Lisenborghs
Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine
Lisa E. Hensley
Zoonotic and Emerging Disease Research Unit, National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, Agricultural Research Service (ARS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Koen Vercauteren
Department of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine
Placide Mbala-Kingebeni
Institut National de Recherche Biomedical (INRB), Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Kinshasa
Anne W. Rimoin
University of California Los Angeles, Department of Epidemiology, Fielding School of Public Health
Jason Kindrachuk
Max Rady College of Medicine, Department of Medical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases, University of Manitoba
Currently Central Africa is experiencing multiple large concurrent mpox outbreaks spreading across several nations and at-risk populations via multiple transmission modes. This current surge of cases, framed in the context of the 2022 global outbreak, is challenging legacy understandings of mpox. Here, we consider how the political, economic, and public health conditions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo have influenced the recorded epidemiology of mpox and how, given this context, current vaccine and outbreak response can be crafted for greatest impact.
