Mpox epidemic causes anxiety despite lack of knowledge. The outbreak of pox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently considered a worldwide public health disaster. Residents are panicking because there is little public health awareness in the province of North Kivu, where the outbreak is acute.
The continuous fighting in the area drove Keren Habimana, a resident of a camp for internally displaced people in the province of North Kivu, Congo, from her house.
After ten years of relative tranquility, tensions erupted in March 2022 when insurgents from the M23. The group attacked Congolese army posts close to the Uganda-Rwanda border, forcing residents to flee for their lives.
Millions of people, like her, got compelled by the fighting to seek safety in temporary camps. Thus underscoring the grave humanitarian crisis in the eastern Congo. Mpox epidemic causes anxiety despite lack of knowledge
But now that all four of her kids have mpox, she has additional concerns than just the fight.
“When this disease invades your household, no one can escape it because it’s highly contagious,” Habimana stated to DW.
Burundi and the Central African Republic. Cases are up 160% and deaths are up 19% compared with the same period last year. Courtesy of DW. Also read
