A recent analysis suggests that more than a third of positive mpox tests may have been false diagnoses. The finding comes amid the ongoing mpox upsurge that the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern in August 2024, following the emergence of a new strain and its rapid spread across eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and into neighboring countries.
If accurate, the high rate of false positives would mean official case numbers may have been substantially inflated. The study's authors did not specify which testing method was used or which populations were affected, but the implication is that diagnostic accuracy may have been a significant challenge during the emergency response.
The source does not provide details on how the false-positive rate was calculated or what factors contributed to the errors. It also does not compare the finding to previous mpox outbreaks. As a single study, the result would need to be confirmed by further research before changing clinical practice or public health policy.