2024-08-15 15:54:20
Hospital staff in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, August 14, 2024.
mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, French for “monkeypox,” has spread rapidly in several African countries in recent months. Especially in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC): according to the latest epidemiological report presented by Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba on Thursday 15 August, the country’s “ 15,664 potential cases and 548 deaths have been recorded since the start of the year.
Twelve days ago, the African Union health agency Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 455 deaths and 14,479 infections in 25 of the country’s 26 provinces, which has about 100 million inhabitants. This difference can provide insight into how quickly MPOX spreads and its mortality rate. “Currently, all our provinces are affected by this virus” Mr Kamba also added.
It also pointed out that South Kivu, North Kivu, Chopo (east), Equateur, North Ubangi, Shuapa, Mongala (north) and Sankuru (central) provinces are currently The most severely affected.
READ ALSO | Article reserved for our subscribers Why the World Health Organization has classified the MPO epidemic in Africa as a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern”
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Supported by WHO and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
To curb the pandemic, Samuel Roger Kamba says to activate “All mechanisms needed to identify and treat cases” Free, dependent on international mobilization. On Wednesday, August 14, a day after a similar decision by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the director of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a “public health emergency of international concern” over MPOX.
This is the second time, after 2022, that the World Health Organization has adopted the highest level of alert for this viral disease. mpox was first discovered in humans in 1970 in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) and has since been largely restricted to West and Central African countries, spreading among animals but also through close physical contact with people. Infection with viruses.
In September 2023, a new strain of the virus called “clade 1b” was discovered in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the virus has recently spread rapidly to neighboring countries. The World Health Organization considers this a major risk. In fact, according to researchers, it causes “Horrible rash all over my body” and more deadly than other “branches,” especially in children. Best of all, it spreads more easily.
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