Democratic Republic of Congo: Monkeypox cases on the rise: in the country’s overcrowded hospitals the virus also affects newborns

ROMA – Even newborns as young as two weeks old are contracting the deadly virus Mpox (monkeypox) in overcrowded hospitals in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Many more are dying than before. It reports Save the Childrenstressing that this year, around 15,000 suspected cases have already been identified in the country, a higher number than in the whole of 2023, while the virus is spreading to other African countries. There is therefore a race against time to contain the spread of the deadly disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo, already involved in a humanitarian crisis and with one of the most fragile health systems in the world. Infections and deaths are more frequent in children than in adults.

The rapid spread of the virus in the country. It has reported about 90% of all cases and is straining a health system already weakened by past Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks and shortages of medical staff and supplies. “The worst case I have seen is a six-week-old baby who was only two weeks old when he contracted theMpox. He is now being treated by us. He got infected because, due to overcrowding at the hospital, he and his mother were forced to share a room with another person infected with the virus, which had not yet been diagnosed at the time,” said Jacques, an epidemiologist and Mpox expert at a partner of Save the Children in South Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo – He had rashes all over his body, a high fever, and his skin was starting to turn black. His parents were scared about his condition and feared he was dying.”

The greatest risk is for children. According to theWorld Health Organization (WHO), children are more at risk than adults of contracting the virus, also known as monkeypox: 70% of the 14,901 cases recorded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are children and adolescents under the age of 15, and 39% are children under the age of five. Children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are almost four times more likely to die from smallpox than adults: WHO data show that the mortality rate for children under one year of age is 8.6%, compared with 2.4% for people over the age of 15. Sixty-two percent of deaths reported by May 2024 were children under the age of five, according to the same data. WHO will meet tomorrow to discuss whether the Mpox outbreak in Africa is a global public health emergency.

Smallpox spreads in 4 more African countries. The latest Mpox variant (Clade 1b), identified in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in September 2023, has now been traced to neighboring Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Burundi. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is assessing whether the rapid spread of the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and across borders constitutes a public health emergency.

Symptoms of the disease. L’Mpox causes fever, rashes and lesions all over the body, severe headaches and fatigue. Some children also develop breathing problems and difficulty swallowing and are at increased risk of secondary bacterial infections. In more severe cases, theMpox can lead to sepsis, a potentially life-threatening response to infection that requires immediate specialized medical attention. The close similarity of some of the virus’s signs and symptoms to other common childhood diseases, such as scabies and chickenpox, could lead – explains Save the Children – to late recognition and treatment, contributing to transmission and worse outcomes due to delayed diagnosis and treatment.

The social stigma surrounding the virus. Additionally, providers must combat the socio-cultural stigma surrounding the virus, due to the belief that it is spread only through sexual contact. In reality, the virus can spread through any skin-to-skin contact, close airborne contact – like COVID-19 – and even from contaminated surfaces and objects such as bed sheets, clothing and kitchen utensils.

And there is the nightmare of hunger. “Children and families in eastern DRC are in shock,” said Greg Ramm, director of Save the Children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – Their lives have already been strained by years of conflict, displacement and some of the highest hunger rates in the world. Health systems are collapsing under the strain of soaring malnutrition, measles and cholera, along with the residual impacts of past Ebola and COVID-19 outbreaks. Now we are adding a new virus that is aggressively attacking children. As we have seen time and again, it is already disadvantaged children who are most at risk.”

Camps for displaced persons with 350 thousand children. Around Goma, in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo, there are three camps for displaced people where some 354,000 children are crammed into tents in unsanitary conditions, with limited access to clean water, health care and adequate food. Smallpox can pass from one tent to another. Humanitarian aid in the country is already underfunded.

Save the Children’s work in DRC. The NGO has been working in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1994 to respond to humanitarian needs related to the arrival of refugees and the displacement of populations due to the armed conflict in the eastern provinces. The Organization has intensified its humanitarian response to support existing assistance systems, training local leaders and communities to prevent and respond to exploitation and abuse, and ensuring access to health care through mobile clinics. It also supports access to basic education for girls and boys by building classrooms, training teachers and distributing teaching materials.