And with almost seven million people displaced by force for violence from the advances of the M23 rebels earlier this year, the RDC faces one of the most complex displacement crises in the world, according to the UN Migration Agency (IIM).
Living in overcrowded camps and with resources little resources, displaced populations are increasingly vulnerable to both the disease and attacks.
Only since January 2025, more than 660,000 people have been forced to flee from the rubber region after government forces lost control of the key city along with Bukavu to the south.
Turning point
The scale of humanitarian needs in the country has reached a turning point, according to the IOM, with outbreak and anthrax outbreaks in the east.
While both MPOX and anthrax typically affect livestock and other animals, food insecurity resulting from the current conflict, along with unhealthy living conditions in fields of displacement, puts humans at greater risk of transmission.
Dangerous infections
Both potentially mortal infections can be hired through contact with infected or contaminated animals. Although anthrax is not generally contagious, Mpox is, the World Health Organization (WHO) underlines.
MPOX is typically accompanied by fever and cutaneous eruption and rarely requires hospitalization, while all human cases of anthrax, added the UN Health Agency.
Since March 22, after the death of dozens of buffalo and hypopotamos in the Virunga National Park due to anthrax poisoning, 16 human cases of anthrax have been reported, including a confirmed case. A person has died so far.
Outbreak response
WHO performs evaluations in the eastern part of the RDC to determine the risk that anthrax infection spreads more through the region.
As MPOX and ANTRAX are antibiotic treatables and can be prevented through vaccination, who and their partners are working to prevent future outbreaks by adopting a unified approach, prioritizing human, animal and environmental security.
Awareness campaigns and efforts to vaccinate cattle against anthrax are underway.
