CDC warns deadly mpox variant in the Congo could soon cross borders

Warning over deadly mpox variant amid fears disease will cross borders An outbreak of mpox in Africa has health officials sounding the alarm for the public to get vaccinated before the disease spreads to North America.

US health authorities warned Thursday that a deadlier version of mpox (formerly monkeypox) spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo could soon cross international borders, urging those at risk to get vaccinated.

While the mpox subtype, which has a higher death rate especially among children, has yet to be detected outside Africa, the Centers for Disease Control warned that vaccination rates have dropped since the 2022 outbreak that led to more than 30,000 cases in the US.

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