from JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
DRC Bureau
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – CASES of the infectious mpox virus have reportedly surged 75-fold among children and young people aged under 19 in the worst-affected province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The eastern South Kivu province is the worst affected, and according to Save the Children, cases in the area are spreading more than twice as fast in children than among the older population.
Save the Children analysis of Ministry of Health data for South Kivu showed that there were 15 cases of mpox recorded in the first four weeks of the year, compared to 1 192 cases in the four weeks between July 22 and August 18 among children and young people.
To date, about 90 percent of reported cases of mpox in Africa are in the DRC, where it has infected at least 18 000 people and led to 615 deaths.
Greg Ramm, Save the Children Country Director in DRC, lamented how the country had borne the brunt of health crises before – from Ebola to cholera to measles.
Measles killed nearly 6 000 people last year, according to Doctors Without Borders, a charity that provides humanitarian medical care.
“Enough is enough – this deadly new mpox strain should be the ultimate call for the world to commit to investing in disease control and prevention so that children and families do not suffer needlessly,” said Ramm.
He added: “It’s high time children in the DRC stopped being another forgotten crisis. The world must also invest in long-term solutions such as equitable access to vaccines and increased testing capacities.”
The outbreak is exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis, with over 7 million people displaced, primarily due to conflict and a weakened health system in the DRC.
Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes and fever.
– CAJ News