Mpox Crisis Deepens: Scientist Warns “We Need To Get Things Under Control”
August 13, 2025
Mpox is no longer confined to remote corners of the Democratic Republic of Congo. New data show it is spreading into cities like Kinshasa and shifting from wildlife-driven transmission to sustained human-to-human spread. A University of Manitoba researcher, Dr. Jason Kindrachuk, and colleagues warn that younger adults, including sex workers, are increasingly affected, with cases marked by genital lesions suggestive of sexual transmission. Alarming evidence also shows in utero transmission during pregnancy. Although severity remains low in some outbreaks, the virus’s expansion into dense urban centers raises urgent questions. Global preparedness and targeted interventions, including vaccines for high-risk groups, are essential.
Mpox is evolving faster than anticipated, and new research underscores the urgency of a coordinated international response. A global team of scientists, including Dr. Jason Kindrachuk from the University of Manitoba, has documented how the virus has expanded dramatically across the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), spreading from rural strongholds into nearly all provinces and now into the capital, Kinshasa. This shift marks a turning point. Once linked primarily to animal-to-human transmission, mpox is increasingly sustained by human-to-human spread, with significant implications for control efforts.
In South Kivu province, researchers identified a new variant, subclade Ib, that has shifted the burden of infection from children to adults, particularly those aged 15 to 34. Many cases involve genital lesions and are associated with sexual activity, including among sex workers, indicating changing modes of transmission. While overall fatality rates remain low in some regions, the virus’s growing presence in urban centers adds complexity to containment. Kinshasa, a metropolis of 17 million and a transit hub for much of Africa, poses especially high risk for regional spread.
Perhaps most concerning are new findings published in The New England Journal of Medicine, showing in utero transmission of mpox, resulting in pregnancy loss or neonatal infection. These results highlight the urgent need for vaccination strategies that prioritize pregnant individuals and other vulnerable groups, as well as expanded research into maternal and neonatal outcomes.
Although the current wave in some areas has not shown the same lethality as earlier outbreaks, the virus’s geographic spread, evolving variants, and changing transmission patterns present new public health challenges. Scientists and health authorities agree: surveillance, vaccination, and global cooperation are critical now to prevent mpox from entrenching itself further and creating a sustained global health crisis.