The new virus is 'undoubtedly the most dangerous of all the known strains of mpox,' John Claude Udahemuka, a lecturer at the University of Rwanda, said. It has caused miscarriages and blindness.
The new clade Ib virus emerged in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and spread to towns along the Rwanda border. Experts fear a global outbreak but are cautious about labeling it a pandemic threat.
"I think we need to be really vigilant now and move to try and contain this as quickly as possible in this region," said Trudie Lang, director of the Global Health Network at Oxford University.
The new mpox strain spreads easily through close contact, causing flu-like symptoms, a painful rash, and can develop into scabs. Previous strains had limited transmission abilities.
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