The case counts seem to be dropping. But health officials say that's because violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo makes it difficult to get good data. And now U.S. assistance is being disrupted.
An NPR investigation found Louisiana health officials told staff to stop promoting vaccines for COVID, flu and mpox, holding flu shot events or otherwise encouraging the public to get those vaccines.
Wiping out smallpox had an unintended consequence: the rise of mpox in the past few years. Here's the story — starting with patient zero for mpox back in 1970.
Congo has over 20,000 cases of mpox and hundreds of deaths, mostly in children, but zero vaccines until now. A planeload of doses donated from the EU landed in Kinshasa on Thursday.
"What we're seeing is tip of the iceberg" because of weaknesses in the surveillance system, says Dr. Dimie Ogoina, chair of the WHO's emergency committee.
A cluster of mpox cases in the Chicago area has sparked fears of a summer wave. Health officials are pointing to new research showing the vaccine is effective and hoping people take notice.
