The deadly mpox outbreak abroad is a “global threat,” the CDC warns. Here’s what you should know.

O Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning Americans about a more deadly form of mpox that is rapidly spreading across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), saying it “poses a global threat.” U.S. monkeypox cases have declined since their peak in August 2022, but health officials are urging caution. So far, no cases of this deadliest strain have been detected in the U.S., but the CDC is increasing surveillance for mpox and advising people at high risk of infection to get vaccinated and take precautions.

Here’s what experts want you to know about the mpox resurgence.

What is mpox?

Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It typically causes a rash and flu-like symptoms, including body aches, fever, chills, headache, and fatigue, although it can be fatal, especially for people with compromised immune systems.

In the spring of 2022, mpox began to spread in the US, particularly among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. The virus is transmitted through “prolonged intimate contact with someone who has active lesions,” which are the red, sometimes painful sores that make up a mpox rash, Dr., professor of infectious diseases at Emory University School of Medicine, told Yahoo Life. “When it comes to close intimate contact, that includes sex, because when people have sex, they are close,” but mpox is not a sexually transmitted infection and can be transmitted without sexual contact, she says.

What is happening now?

The deadlier of the two forms of the mpox virus – known as clade I – has driven cases in the DRC to a record high. Nearly 20,000 suspected cases of mpox were diagnosed there between January 1, 2023, and April 14, 2024, according to a recent CDC Report. Nearly 1,000 people died from the infection and more than two-thirds of them were children.

Clade I has a considerably higher death rate than Clade II, which hit the US in 2022, killing up to 10% of people who contract it, compared to 3.6% or less of people infected with the milder form of MPox (although, Titanji notes, this may be due, in part, to the fact that there is less access to treatment in areas of Africa most affected by clade I).

For now, the deadliest clade is mainly affecting Central African countries, including the DRC and Cameroon, Titanji says. None of the 343 samples taken from people with mpox in the US that CDC Tested between December 1, 2023 and April 14, 2024, it belonged to clade I.

But in 2022, the less deadly form of mpox (clade II) quickly went from a regional concern to a global concern, as travel helped spread the infection across 110 countries, including much of Europe and the U.S., infecting ultimately more than 32,000 Americans. The CDC is concerned that international spread could happen again with clade I. And the mpox tests most commonly used in the US do not distinguish between the two subtypes of the virus, making it difficult to know whether clade I has arrived. Dr.professor of infectious diseases at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Yahoo Life.

How serious is the risk of mpox in the US?

The CDC’s main goal for now is to monitor travelers from the DRC who may have mpox and raise awareness, especially among those at high risk of infection. “The U.S. has never reached zero cases” since the outbreak began two years ago, Titanji says. “We still have, on average, 200 cases reported every month”, and less than 1 in 4 people at risk have obtained their complete series of vaccinations against the virus, meaning most are still vulnerable to infection.

As the outbreak continues, men who have sex with men are still at greater risk of infection. “We saw a disproportionate impact across interconnected social and sexual networks” during the 2022 surge, says Titanji. “It was really able to spread into a niche group.” But she adds: “We [also] I saw infections among all sexual types and preferences. It is an infectious disease; it can infect anyone if you are exposed.” In the DRC, there has been considerable spread between heterosexual partners and among children who may live or play in close quarters, she explains.

How to reduce the risks of infection

In the USA, anyone eligible for mpox vaccination – including gay and bisexual men – who have not received both doses of the injection should do so, advise Titanji and Adalja. This is especially important for those living with HIV or other immunocompromised conditions because mpox is especially dangerous for these people. CDC data suggests.

Summer, with its densely packed social activities and increased travel, also brings additional risks for mpox transmission, notes Titanji. Plus, “it’s Pride month, so there are a lot of festivals that make people mingle and come together,” she says. “This creates opportunities for transmission to occur and for an outbreak to occur.”

Titanji advises that people monitor themselves for injuries and flu-like symptoms and consider getting tested for MPox before coming into close contact with others. She also recommends using condoms to reduce the likelihood of contact injuries. But, she adds, that doesn’t mean you have to put the fun aside. Instead, “using the tools that we have in the public health space that allow people to still enjoy the summer and enjoy having sex with their partners, but [do] do so in a way that does not increase the risk of exposure to an infection like mpox,” says Titanji.