Monkeypox kills at least 10 in DRC

A monkeypox outbreak has killed at least 10 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the local Actualite news portal reported.

Most of the victims are children below the age of 5.

The outbreak began around 8 months ago and the number of infected people stands at 141.

Monkeypox is caused by monkeypox virus, a member of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the family Poxviridae.

It is a viral zoonotic disease that occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa and is occasionally exported to other regions, according to the World Health Organization.

Monkeypox typically presents clinically with fever, rash and swollen lymph nodes.

The virus is mostly transmitted to people from wild animals such as rodents and primates, but human-to-human transmission also occurs.

Monkeypox is transmitted from one person to another by contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials such as bedding.

Human monkeypox was first identified in humans in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (then known as Zaire).