The new mpox strain is mutating fast, faster than expected and in areas without the needed funds and equipment to track it, creating challenges for those trying to better understand the virus and its severity and how it spreads, Reuters reports.

A little refresher: The World Health Organization once again declared mpox an international health emergency earlier this month, responding to a severe resurgence of the virus across Africa. The virus can cause flu-like symptoms and painful rashes. It spreads through contact with infected animals and skin-to-skin contact The virus has been a public health issue since 1970.

The origin of the outbreak: This time around the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is bearing the brunt of this outbreak, with most of the cases concentrated there. Some 3.4% of the 16.7k recorded cases in the country have died, according to France24. The country is hoping to receive a vaccine this week to help tame the virus, but until then the number of cases continues to rise.

The cause for worry: This new strain — dubbed clade la — carries a mutation that accelerated the virus’s adaptation in humans. “The virus that causes mpox has typically been fairly stable and slow to mutate, but APOBEC-driven mutations can accelerate viral evolution,” Fred Hutchison Cancer Center’s Miguel Paredes said.

Even the way it's transmitted has changed: While the spread of clade l was linked to contact with infected animals, clade lb can now be considered an STD. The virus can also be spread through contact with infected people, probably a large contributor to its spread among children in overcrowded areas. .

Tracking and response: Efforts to understand and control the spread of the virus have been stalled due to lack of resources — even obtaining basic chemicals for diagnostic tests has been a challenge — leaving many cases undiagnosed or clinically unconfirmed. This lack of data makes it harder to develop a targeted vaccination program and carry out other public health measures.

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