GOMA: An intensifying mpox epidemic is causing widespread panic in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), with a surge of patients seeking treatment at the Nyiragongo General Referral Hospital in North Kivu.
The mpox outbreak, which has claimed 548 lives so far this year, has intensified fears among the region’s displaced populations, many of whom are living in cramped and unsanitary conditions.
Each day, between five to 20 persons arrive at the hospital’s outdoor isolation center, worried they may be infected with the virus. Mpox, which can spread from animals to humans and between humans through close physical contact, has recently been identified in all provinces of the DRC, a country of approximately 100 million people.
Doctor Tresor Basubi, who is on the front lines of the epidemic response, provided an update on the situation. He examined a young girl with skin lesions typical of mpox but noted that her condition was relatively mild.
“This is just the start, the child is not asthenic, she does not show severe symptoms, she can walk on her own,” Basubi said. He explained that while mild cases are common and treatable with medications like paracetamol and zinc oxide cream, the newly emerged clade 1b strain of the virus is far more dangerous. This strain has a mortality rate of approximately 3.6%, with infants and children being particularly vulnerable.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the situation in the DR Congo as a Level 3 emergency, its highest international alert. With around 16,000 cases reported nationwide this year, the epidemic has overwhelmed local health resources.
In South Kivu, a neighboring province, around 350 new cases are being reported each week, according to epidemiologist Justin Bengehya.
Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, is experiencing heightened concern due to its proximity to armed conflict and the presence of large numbers of displaced people. Camps in the city, which house hundreds of thousands of people, are particularly at risk for rapid disease transmission due to close living quarters.
In the crowded displacement camps, people are struggling with the epidemic’s impact. Makambo, who fled violence in Masisi and now lives in a makeshift tent in Goma, shared that her three children contracted mpox while living in the camp.
“My children sleep on the same bed and they are constantly contaminated at the same time, and I didn’t have an extra bed to separate them,” she said. She expressed deep concern about the disease’s potential to devastate her community.
Health workers like Deogracias Mahombi Sekabanza, who brought his daughter to the hospital after she showed symptoms similar to those of mpox, are on high alert. “My son was hospitalised here for mpox, and my daughter began showing the same symptoms by Wednesday,” Sekabanza said.
Preventative measures, including hand washing and avoiding direct contact with contaminated materials, are being promoted, but Dr. Basubi acknowledged the limitations of these efforts.
“This disease is very contagious. If you touch the sweat, urine, or even clothes of a sick person, you are directly exposed,” he said. “Washing hands with soap or ashes can help protect you but there is no guarantee.”
Nyota Mukobelwa, a displaced vendor, echoed the urgent need for a vaccine. “The vaccine needs to be available, otherwise the epidemic will continue to spread, many people will die and we will contaminate our children at home,” she warned.
The WHO has urged manufacturers to ramp up production of mpox vaccines to rein in the spread of clade 1b cases, asking countries to donate stockpiles to countries with outbreaks.
