Science & technology | Viruses
A deadly new strain of mpox is raising alarm
Health officials warn it could rapidly spread beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo
![Children with lesions, one of the symptoms of Monkey Pox.](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240629_STP501.jpg)
Editor’s note: On August 14th officials at the World Health Organisation classified the outbreak of mpox as a global health emergency. A new strain of the disease has spread beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo for the first time, to at least 12 other African countries.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Breaking out”
More from Science & technology
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240824_STP002.jpg)
Wildfires are getting more frequent and more devastating
Climate change is accelerating the blaze
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240824_STD001.jpg)
The world needs codes quantum computers can’t break
America’s standards agency thinks it has identified three
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/media-assets/image/20240817_STP002.jpg)
Why a new art gallery in Bangalore is important for Indian science
It aims to make research and tinkering more accessible to the public
Climate change could reawaken harmful invasive plants
The sooner they can be weeded out, the better
AI scientists are producing new theories of how the brain learns
The challenge for neuroscientists is how to test them
Exposure to the sun’s UV radiation may be good for you
For now, though, keep the sun cream handy