The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the spread of MPOX in Africa needs urgent action, especially since dangerous strains have been detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“It is crucial that we address the recent surge in MPOX cases in Africa,” said Rosamund Lewis, WHO’s MPOX technical lead. According to Reuters.
Chris Kashita, a doctor in charge of Congo’s MPOX program, told Reuters there have been around 8,600 cases of the virus, including 410 this year.
Speaking at a separate briefing, John Claude Udahemuka of the University of Rwanda said the strain of the virus spreading in Congo’s hard-to-access South Kivu province was a mutation of one that had been in the country for decades and was extremely dangerous.
Udahemuka said more research was needed to determine how the virus was spreading in South Kivu, but that it was being spread partly through sexual contact.
A mild virus spread across the world in 2022. The global epidemic primarily affected gay men, but it is not exclusive to men. Who said that?
According to Reuters, the vaccine was widely used to combat the pandemic worldwide but is not available in Congo.
Kashita said South Kivu province borders Rwanda and Burundi and there was a risk of infected people crossing the border.
So far, 24 of Congo’s 26 provinces have been affected, making this the worst MPOX epidemic in the country’s history.
