Mpox Outbreak Sparks Urgent Response in Congo's Displacement Camps

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, an mpox outbreak has been declared a global public health emergency. Residents, especially in displacement camps like one near Goma, are struggling with the disease. Local and international health workers emphasize the need for accurate information and resources to combat the virus.

Justine Munguiko couldn't recall the name of the disease she had been warned about, but she knew her baby Fidele suffered from painful sores similar to those of other children at a displacement camp near Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo.

The DRC has become the epicentre of an mpox outbreak, recently declared a global public health emergency by the World Health Organization. Communities like Munguiko's are among the most exposed and in dire need of support. Mothers in the camp resort to traditional treatments like washing sores with boiled salty water and using Kitamatama plant leaves to soothe rashes.

'This disease of skin lesions, comes from I don't know where... We've been told it comes after eating bushmeat, but neither I nor my child have eaten bushmeat,' the 24-year-old said, struggling to comfort her crying baby. Her story underscores the urgent need for vaccines and education to protect vulnerable populations from the mpox virus.

Communicating effective prevention methods is critical, according to Ebere Okereke of Chatham House's Global Health Programme. 'We need to get the right information out to the people who are immediately at risk,' she told Reuters.

Since January 2023, there have been around 27,000 cases and more than 1,100 deaths in Congo, mainly children. The virus has spread to nearby countries. On Monday, Kanyarutshinya camp residents gathered to hear a Medair health worker explain infection prevention, receiving leaflets with visual aids.

The lack of funding for research is a significant challenge, said Helen Rees, co-chair of South Africa's mpox incident management team, mentioning that global understanding of mpox transmission and asymptomatic cases remains incomplete.

Camp residents are eager for information. Bizimungu Habimana, 46, scrutinized the leaflet after the Medair session, saying, 'We thought there was no medicine or cure for this disease. I'm so glad to hear it's curable.'

(Additional reporting by Cooper Inveen in Dakar, Catherine Schenk in Johannesburg, Ange Kasongo and Benoit Nyemba in Kinshasa; Writing by Alessandra Prentice; editing by Barbara Lewis)

(With inputs from agencies.)