What you need to know about the new mpox variant

A new strain of mpox has been circulating in the Democratic Republic of Congo for months and slowly spread throughout the rest of the continent — even reaching countries the virus had never previously been detected in.

Last week, a case of this new and deadlier variant was detected in Sweden. The World Health Organization has declared the situation in Africa a global health emergency.

While the virus has not yet reached the United States, concerns abound about the global threat of the virus.

Here & Now’s Lisa Mullins speaks to Dr. Raynard Washington, health director of Mecklenburg County in North Carolina and chair of the Big Cities Health Coalition, for advice and assurance about the new variant.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.