Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41706662›Full record

ArticlePLOS global public health2026

Ocular manifestations of Clade Ib mpox in four South-Kivu health zones, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Deogratias Basedeke Ngoma, Irène Nsimire Ntererwa, Aristote Biringanine Irenge, Marcel Changa Mweze, Patrick de Marie Chimusa Katoto, David Mwenebitu Lupande, Joseph Nelson Siewe Fodjo, Piet Noë, Juliet Sengeri Otiti, Theophile Barhwamire Kabesha and 6 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PLOS global public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

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0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

16 authors.

Deogratias Basedeke NgomaDepartment of Ophthalmology, Bukavu Provincial Referral Hospital, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Irène Nsimire NtererwaPublic Health Department, Official University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Aristote Biringanine IrengeNational Eye Health and Vision Program, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Marcel Changa MwezeDepartment of Ophthalmology, Bukavu Provincial Referral Hospital, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Patrick de Marie Chimusa KatotoFaculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
David Mwenebitu LupandeFaculty of Medicine, Catholic University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Joseph Nelson Siewe FodjoGlobal Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3544-1239
Piet NoëRwanda Charity Eye Hospital, Muhanga, Rwanda.
Juliet Sengeri OtitiDepartment of Ophthalmology, College of Health Sciences, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Theophile Barhwamire KabeshaDepartment of Ophthalmology, Official University of Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Robert ColebundersGlobal Health Institute, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
Christophe Van DijckDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
Laurens LiesenborghsDepartment of Clinical Sciences, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium.
Placide Mbala-KingebeniNational Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB), Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Steven YehDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Truhlsen Eye Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America.
Jean-Claude MwanzaDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2346-5885

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

With several international outbreaks ongoing, mpox-related eye disease is increasingly detected, yet data on its prevalence remain limited. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study in four health zones in South-Kivu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, between November 1, 2024 and January 31, 2025, to describe the clinical features of mpox-related ophthalmic disease in hospitalized patients during the ongoing clade Ib outbreak. Routine ophthalmic examination was performed in laboratory-confirmed hospitalized mpox patients. The assessment included visual acuity measurement, inspection of eyelids and ocular surface with a magnifying glass, portable slit lamp biomicroscopy of the anterior segment, and ophthalmoscopy. We examined a total of 366 patients, of whom 210 (57.4%) were male. The median (IQR) age was 8 (4-16) years, 260 (71%) of the patients were younger than 15, and 168 (45.8%) were under 5. Ocular symptoms and disease were recorded in 190 (51.9%) patients. The most common ocular symptom was redness (51.9%), followed by pain (20.0%), itching (18.3%), and conjunctival discharge (16.7%). Conjunctivitis was observed in 113 (30.9%) patients. Other manifestations included blepharoconjunctivitis (7.4%), blepharitis (5.2%), and keratoconjunctivitis (3.3%). Ulcerative and non-ulcerative keratitis were present in 2.5% and 2.2% of the patients, respectively. Two (0.6%) HIV-positive patients had herpes zoster ophthalmicus. Visual impairment was recorded in 5.7% and blindness in 2.5% of the patients. Ophthalmologic manifestations were common during hospitalization in this group of patients. The early occurrence of ophthalmic manifestations requires early ophthalmic assessment for timely diagnosis and treatment to achieve better outcomes. Outbreak frontline healthcare workers should be alert of ocular symptoms such as redness, pain, sensitivity to light, and tearing in both suspected and laboratory-confirmed cases and promptly initiate an ophthalmic evaluation.

Identifiers

PMID41706662
PMCPMC12915937

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.