Human monkeypox in the Kivus, a conflict region of The Democratic Republic of the Congo

摘要

Background: Monkeypox is a zoonotic Orthopoxvirus infection with a clinical presentation similar to smallpox. Monkeypox virus is endemic in areas of western and central Africa, with the vast majority of reported cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Ecological niche models predict disease in many areas of DRC, but exclude much of North and South Kivu Provinces. In 2011 and 2012, three human monkeypox cases were investigated in North Kivu (2 cases) and South Kivu (1 case).