DR Congo - Province badly affected by outbreak of Mpox

Child in Liberia with monkeypox 1971. Image: CDCP. US Dept Health & Human Services

Source: Mill Hill Missionaries/ WHO

The recently re-elected General Superior of the Soeurs Thérésiennes of Basankusu, Sr Félicité Bombe, has raised the alarm about the rapid spread of Mpox in Dr Congo - Mill Hill Missionaries report.

Official figures put the number of cases of monkeypox in the Equator province of DR Congo (where Basankusu is located) at 6000. The district of Djombo in particular is badly affected.

Mpox belongs to the same family of viruses as smallpox but causes milder symptoms like fever, chills and body aches. People with more serious cases can develop characteristic lesions on the face, hands, chest and body.

On Thursday, the World Health Organisation declared the mpox outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

In declaring the PHEIC, Dr WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: "The emergence of a new clade of mpox, its rapid spread in eastern DRC, and the reporting of cases in several neighbouring countries are very worrying. On top of outbreaks of other mpox clades in DRC and other countries in Africa, it's clear that a coordinated international response is needed to stop these outbreaks and save lives."

WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Matshidiso Moeti said: "Significant efforts are already underway in close collaboration with communities and governments, with our country teams working on the frontlines to help reinforce measures to curb mpox. With the growing spread of the virus, we're scaling up further through coordinated international action to support countries bring the outbreaks to an end."

Mpox has been reported in the DRC for more than a decade, and the number of cases reported each year has increased steadily over that period. Last year, reported cases increased significantly, and already the number of cases reported so far this year has exceeded last year's total, with more than 15,600 cases and 537 deaths.

In the past month, more than 100 laboratory-confirmed cases of clade 1b have been reported in four countries neighbouring the DRC that have not reported mpox before: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. Experts believe the true number of cases to be higher as a large proportion of clinically compatible cases have not been tested.

In a 'toolkit' for dealing with mpox, the WHO report urges the need for empathy to be at the centre. That means "establishing and maintaining trust with affected communities, addressing the emotional needs of those affected .... and reducing stigma and fear," it noted. In any pandemic, loving care can be a powerful antidote - and serve as a first responder.