Concerns grow as Mpox cases soar in DR Congo | CPT PPP Coverage

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The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is on high alert following the outbreak of Simian smallpox (Mpox) cases.

According to the Ministry of Health, 228 new cases were reported at the end of April, with eight deaths.

“Since the start of 2024, 279 people have died from the disease,” the ministry stated.

In 2023, some 654 people had died from Mpox (monkeypox virus).

“The curve is rising, because in 2022, the number of deaths due to this disease was 234,” the Health ministry said.

Read: Congo Brazzaville declares mpox epidemic

According to official figures, children under 15 are the most affected, accounting for 70 percent of suspected cases and 87 percent of deaths. 

The Mpox disease had become a public health concern in the country forcing the Health ministry to set up a specialised structure called “Coordination Monkeypox” to better monitor the disease. 

The DRC’s National Institute of Public Health (INSP, its French acronym), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, has drawn up a response plan against the spread of the disease, which is currently also rife in neighbouring Congo – Brazzaville.  

The public has been asked to take precautions, including avoiding close contact with suspected cases, sick animals and handling game meat with bare hands. According to experts, bats and monkeys are reservoirs for the disease.

“Contact between people in rural areas and wildlife, considered to be a reservoir of monkey pox, is the main reason for the persistence of this disease,” said Dr Aaron Aruna, head of epidemiological surveillance in the DRC.

“Environmental factors can play a part in the onset of this disease. One of these factors is the demographic pressure of humans on the environment.

A few years ago, there were protected areas, but with the exploitation of these areas, humans are now in contact with wild fauna, the main breeding ground for viruses. The interaction between humans and the animal world is becoming strong,” he added.

 In the DRC, bushmeat, mainly monkey meat, is particularly popular. Despite appeals from consumer associations, monkey meat continues to be widely consumed by people who are little aware of the risks to which they are exposing themselves.

Read: Worrying signs as monkeypox virus mutates

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), like the Ebola virus, the Mpox virus was first detected in humans in the mid-1970s in the DRC.

Mpox is currently rife in the province of Equateur, in southern Ubangi, 700 kilometres from Kinshasa, in the north-west of the DRC, where the lush equatorial forest provides a large habitat. The province of Sankuru in central DR Congo, is also affected. 

Symptoms include fever, pain and skin lesions, which can leave marks on the skin (face) even after a patient has gone into remission.

As per the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the outbreak is widespread in the country, with cases reported in 23 of the DRC’s 26 provinces and in the capital city of Kinshasa and a few other large cities.

The CDC has been supporting DRC Mpox research and response for more than 20 years.