An international team of epidemiologists has discovered a mutated strain of the Monkeypox virus (MPXV) in a poor and densely populated town in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to the Daily Mail, the mutated strain with "pandemic potential" was found in the town of Kamituga, a poverty-stricken and densely populated city known for gold mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There are concerns that it may be ready to spread, with 108 cases reported so far.

The virus is a highly lethal variant of the clade 1 MPXV strain, which kills up to 10% of those infected. However, this mutated strain has evolved to become more contagious and better at evading previous tests.

It is believed that the new variant emerged sometime between July and September 2023, initially in animals and then transmitted to humans.

Around 85% of the infected individuals were found to have genital lesions, while 10% were hospitalized, and two deaths have been reported.

Researchers have called for "urgent measures" to contain the virus and prevent the disease from becoming a global outbreak.

In a research paper, they stated that this localized outbreak in Kamituga carries the potential for national and international spread.

It is worth mentioning that Monkeypox caused a global pandemic in 2022, spreading to over 100 countries and resulting in hundreds of deaths. That outbreak was caused by the milder clade 2 strain, which rarely exhibits lethal effects.