VATICAN CITY, Aug 25, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Pope Francis on Sunday highlighted victims of the mpox virus in his weekly prayers and called on governments and the pharmaceutical industry to do more to get vaccines to the worst hit countries.

"I pray for all the infected people, in particular the population of Democratic Republic of Congo, so affected, I express my closeness to the local churches most touched by this disease," the pope said during his Angelus prayers in St Peter's Square.

The World Health Organization this month declared the surge of mpox cases from DR Congo to other African nations to be a global health emergency. It has also called for greater production and sharing of vaccines.

"I encourage governments and private industry to share the technology and available treatments so that nobody lacks adapted medical care," the pope said.

While mpox has been known for decades, a new more deadly and more transmissible strain -- known as Clade 1b -- has driven the recent surge in cases.

Clade 1b causes death in about 3.6 percent of cases, with children more at risk, according to the WHO.

The virus has swept across DR Congo, killing more than 570 people so far this year. Outbreaks have been reported in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda since July. The first case in Europe was reported in Sweden last week.

The virus can spread from animals to humans but also between humans through close physical contact.