Establishment of a regional Mpox surveillance network in Central Africa: shared experiences in an endemic region.

To address the underreporting of mpox cases in endemic regions, a regional surveillance network, known as the Mpox Threat Reduction Network (MPX-TRN), was established between five neighboring countries in Central and West Africa in 2022. One direct outcome of the MPX-TRN has been the strengthening of regional mpox surveillance. This consortium has facilited open communication channels, detection of cross-border mpox cases, and improvements of the detection and diagnosis of mpox in Central Africa and worldwide.

Presumed Transmission of 2 Distinct Monkeypox Virus Variants from Central African Republic to Democratic Republic of the Congo.

We linked 4 mpox cases in South Ubangi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, to transboundary transmission from Central African Republic. Viral genome sequencing demonstrated that the monkeypox virus sequences belonged to distinct clusters of subclade Ia. This finding demonstrates the borderless nature of mpox and highlights the need for vigilant regional surveillance.

Laboratory Diagnosis of Mpox, Central African Republic, 2016-2022.

During 2016-2022, PCR testing confirmed 100 mpox cases among 302 suspected cases in the Central African Republic. The highest detection rates were from active lesions (40%) and scabs (36%); cycle thresholds were lower (≈18) than those for blood samples (≈33). Results were consistent for generic primer- and clade I primer-specific PCR tests.