Congo in 1970 had the first person with mpox the world has ever known, and it long has had more cases than any country. Typically, outbreaks have been in remote areas and petered out relatively quickly.
In the last year, cases have exploded, with the virus spilling over to neighboring countries and leading the World Health Organization to declare a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
This project visits the epicenter of the DRC's outbreak, including the Kamituga mine that has documented transmission through sexual contact for the first first time in the country's history. Kinshasa, the capital, also has its first large outbreak, and visits to clinics and homes will show the response there. Finally, researchers are hunting for animals that harbor reservoirs of the virus.
