Special Issue "Mpox Outbreaks in Africa: Immunological Perspectives, Epidemiology, and Public Health Challenges"

Deadline for Submission : Sep 30 2024

Special Issue Information

Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), endemic to West, Central, and East Africa, especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). By November 2023, mpox cases expanded to 22 of DRC's 26 provinces. There are two MPXV clades: clade I (Congo Basin clade) and clade II (West African clade), with clade II subdivided into IIa and IIb.

Before 2018, few cases were reported outside Africa, but since 2022, clade IIb MPXV has caused a global epidemic, mainly transmitted through sexual contact among men who have sex with men. DRC has not reported clade IIb cases, only clade I. The first sexual transmission of clade I MPXV was documented in April 2023 in a man from Belgium visiting DRC, leading to further infections among his sexual contacts.

DRC has reported human-to-human mpox transmission since the 1970s, primarily through zoonotic transmission. Due to challenges in diagnostics and contact tracing, MPXV clade I transmission dynamics in DRC remain poorly understood. Global clade IIb MPXV transmission continues, while clade I outbreaks occur in Cameroon, Central African Republic, and DRC, with sporadic cases in other African countries. The natural reservoir of MPXV is unknown, though small mammals like squirrels and monkeys are susceptible.

Keywords

Mpox, Clade 1b Mpox, Immunology, Sexual transmission, Human-to-human transmission, Global outbreak, Clade I, Clade IIb, Zoonotic transmission, Diagnostics, Epidemiology, Public health, Africa, Monkeypox virus, Viral transmission, Immune response