Mpox Transmission Dynamics in South Kivu, DRC
Project pitch
Mpox was declared a PHEIC by the WHO in 2024, with eastern DRC as the epicentre. Unlike the 2022 global outbreak, Clade I mpox caused more severe disease, and available vaccines were not enough to cover everyone at risk. The outbreak occurs against a backdrop of ongoing unrest and war in South Kivu, complicating surveillance and response. Participants will build an SIR model, estimate R₀ from early outbreak data, and assess vaccine impact by comparing scenarios. This project uses a real, anonymised line list of suspected mpox cases from South Kivu, DRC. The project is great for participants interested in transmission modelling and vaccine impact assessment.
Research area(s)
- Infectious disease dynamics
- Outbreak analysis
- Descriptive epidemiology
Data
Type of data
De-identified real cases and demographic data for the Mpox outbreak in South Kivu province in DRC.
Source
Surveillance system, Division de la Sante Public (DPS), DRC
Description and status of data
Case data for the needs some minor cleaning. Weekly or monthly dataset to be created based on the
Software
Participants will R software (packages will depend on the participants choice).
Potential research question(s)
- What is the basic reproduction number (R₀) for Clade I mpox? How many cases were averted by vaccination?