A gold mining town in Congo has become an mpox hot spot as a new strain spreads

Congo’s South Kivu province is at the epicenter of the world’s latest mpox outbreak, in what the World Health Organization has called a global health emergency. A new strain of the virus is rapidly spreading, largely through skin-to-skin contact, sparking alarm among disease experts. Public health officials have zeroed in on Kamituga, a remote yet bustling gold mining town that attracts miners, sex workers and traders who are constantly on the move. Health officials say cases found in other parts of eastern Congo can be traced back here, but a lack of funds, vaccines and information is making it difficult to stem the spread. Since the outbreak began, nearly 1,000 people in Kamituga have been infected and eight have died, half of them children.



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