The Congolese Ministry of Health puts the death toll at 988, most of them children, and the cases at more than 31,000.
Oct. 5 (EUROPA PRESS) –
This Saturday, the Democratic Republic of the Congo began its long-awaited vaccination plan against the mpox virus, previously known as monkeypox, which since the beginning of the year has left at least 988 dead and more than 31,000 suspected cases in the African country, the epicenter of the global health emergency declared in August by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The country’s Minister of Health, Hygiene and Prevention, Roger Kamba, warned in his latest report this past Friday of an “alarming” increase in the number of cases and of the urgent need to launch a campaign that began this Saturday. with a “limited reach” because right now there are only 265,000 doses of the mpox vaccine available throughout the country, although new shipments are expected in the coming weeks.
“Right now we have evidence of cases in almost all the provinces of the country,” Kamba explained this past Friday before remembering that mpox is causing real havoc among the child population: almost 70 percent of those who died are children under five years of age. .
Kamba, in statements reported by the Congolese news portal Actualité, warns that right now the country’s health system is under “enormous pressure” especially in the conflictive provinces in the east of the country, such as North Kivu and South Kivu, the scene since years ago of the activities of some of the most violent armed groups in Africa. It is there, he added, where the vaccination campaign will begin.
Next, the Congolese health authorities will set their target on the provinces with the highest mortality rate, such as Équateur, Sankuru, Tshuapa, Mongala or Tshopo.
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