Health officials have identified a new variant of monkeypox (mpox) and are concerned about changes in its transmission.
In a study published in Nature Medicine, a team of international researchers from across six different countries are warning that the newly-discovered mpox variant has mutated and that these mutations have concerning implications for human populations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and beyond.
Increase in Infection
One of the major concerns about the new mpox variant is that it has become much more infectious. Genetic analyses, conducted by the international research team, has revealed that the variant’s mutations are now making it easier to transmit the virus between humans.
Due to this increase in infectiousness, the new variant is spreading rapidly not only within the DRC and neighboring countries within Africa but also internationally to places like Sweden and Thailand.
In a press release, Professor Frank Aarestrup, from DTU National Food Institute, noted that this new mpox variant is “somewhat like SARS-CoV-2 – the virus undergoes mutations as it spreads[…]. [W]e see that one particular subvariant appears to have become better at transmitting between humans, and it has now been detected in several countries outside East Africa.”
What Is Mpox?
Mpox is a viral illness that mainly spreads via close contact. Once infected, patients often develop a painful rash, along with fever and enlarged lymph nodes. In the most severe cases, it can be fatal.
For a long time, mpox was understood to be a purely zoonotic disease, meaning it was transmitted from animals to humans. This changed in 2022 when human-to-human transmission was reported, and there was an uptick in cases affecting men with male sexual partners.
With the new variant, we are witnessing another drastic change in the transmission of the illness and the people who are becoming sick.
Read More: What Is Monkeypox and Should we Still be Worried About this Virus?
Disease Outbreaks in the DRC
An important player in this new discovery is the GREAT-LIFE project. GREAT-LIFE works to enhance East Africa’s capacity for detecting disease outbreaks. Their main focus is implementing the use of portable polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of viral diseases.
Pure coincidence intervened and GREAT-LIFE’s mission was quickly put to the test when the project’s launch happened to take place alongside the emergence of the new mpox variant in the DRC.
The GREAT-LIFE project is not only responsible for the discovery of the new variant but also for the development of a new PCR test that is able to detect it. Before the creation of this new test, the new variant was undetectable by other mpox PCR tests.
Should we be Concerned?
Along with the infectious new variant, there has also been a change in who is contracting the virus and how. From the 670 patient samples analyzed, 52.4 percent were women, and 47.6 percent were men. This change indicates that the virus is primarily being spread through heterosexual contact, often through sex workers in densely populated areas.
A few other worrisome discoveries have been made about the new variant. There is an increasing number of healthcare workers and children infected. Even more concerning is the mutated virus’ effect on pregnant women. Of the 14 pregnant women who reported contracting the illness, over half suffered miscarriages, which is an alarmingly high number.
The rapid transmission and other significant changes in this new variant highlight the need for increased cooperation between countries to help monitor the disease across borders and to share resources to help treat patients. Additionally, more targeted health and safe sex education is needed, especially among sex workers, to stop the spread and save lives.
Read More: How Viruses Evolve
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
Nature Medicine. Epidemiological and genomic evolution of the ongoing outbreak of clade Ib mpox virus in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
As the marketing coordinator at Discover Magazine, Stephanie Edwards interacts with readers across Discover's social media channels and writes digital content. Offline, she is a contract lecturer in English & Cultural Studies at Lakehead University, teaching courses on everything from professional communication to Taylor Swift, and received her graduate degrees in the same department from McMaster University. You can find more of her science writing in Lab Manager and her short fiction in anthologies and literary magazine across the horror genre.
