Investigation of Monkeypox and Other Zoonotic Diseases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) - 2022

The goals of this project are to improve the scientific understanding and reduce the clinical burden of Monkeypox (MPX) and other zoonotic diseases in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This should directly support the U.S. CDC mission of strengthening public health surveillance systems globally to prevent the spread of emerging diseases. This project will rely upon the Kinshasa School of Public Health’s considerable experience with training public health practitioners, conducting scientific research trials, and supporting the DRC Ministry of Health to accomplish its objectives. The project will be framed around a laboratory-based surveillance system for MPX in DRC to collect accurate case burden data. We will expand upon this framework by evaluating new training methods for health workers, improving geographic data, and assessing new diagnostic platforms when available. We will use our relationships with health systems in highly affected areas to conduct clinical trials of care regimens, vaccines, and anti-viral therapies. We will perform serosurveys in high-risk and survivor populations to better understand transmission risk factors, viral persistence, and sequalae. We will work with key groups in these areas to identify wildlife reservoirs of MPX and collect qualitative data on the attitudes and behaviors of key populations living in these communities. We will work with the government of DRC to improve the ability to respond to outbreaks quickly by preemptively training response workers, developing health promotion networks, and responding to misinformation rapidly. We will share results with national stakeholders and other nations interested in being better prepared for responding to endemic and imported MPX cases.