“Children in Burundi are the most affected by the MPOX outbreak, with alarming rates of infection and health repercussions,” Dr Paul Ngwakum, UNICEF Regional Health Advisor for Eastern and Southern Africa, said: “Of the nearly 600 reported cases, two-thirds are children under 19 years of age and the situation is deteriorating very rapidly. more than [a] 40 percent increase in cases in the last three weeks.”
To date, there have been more than 14,000 suspected cases in Burundi, but no deaths from mpox have been reported. However, in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, nearly 21,900 suspected cases and 717 deaths have been recorded.
The UNICEF official insisted that with funding and rapid action in Burundi, “We have the opportunity to end this outbreak in a very short period of time because the geographical area is quite limited and with a concerted effort from all partners, I believe we can limit the spread; “We can contain the virus so we can stop the outbreak without any loss of life.”
Making classrooms safe
Following the start of the school year earlier this week in Burundi, the UN agency remains concerned about the rise of MPOX among children under five, who account for 30 per cent of reported cases, as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To help teachers and parents understand the risks and minimise disruption, the UN agency has supported education authorities to implement health measures in schools, train staff to recognise early symptoms of MPOX and reinforce hand hygiene.
“Let’s not kid ourselves, we don’t have all the answers. No one does. This is a rapidly evolving situation, with a new and infectious strain, and we are learning more every day about the different modes of transmission. And with more information, we are updating our messaging and our response,” said Dr Ngwakum.
UNICEF's appeal will also provide mental health support to parents and frontline workers who may face hostility from some communities, in part because of mpox's association with sex, which is responsible for some, but by no means all, transmission.
Harmful stigma
“In Africa, sex is not a topic that is talked about on a daily basis. And if they think you have a sexually transmitted disease, you are also stigmatized,” explained Dr. Ngwakum. “We try to explain that this is not the case. Most children contract it through bodily contact, contact with animals or contact with infected materials, which has nothing to do with sexual contamination from person to person..”
Communities also continue to fear a repeat of previous serious health outbreaks such as Ebola or COVID-19, “so we are playing an important role in dispelling myths and calming fears,” the UNICEF official explained.
Highlighting the stark contrast between the high number of suspected mpox deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, Dr Margaret Harris of the World Health Organization (WHO) explained that this is likely due to the protracted humanitarian emergency in eastern DRC.
“Many of the children we have seen die horribly and sadly in the Democratic Republic of Congo were very immunosuppressed from being severely malnourished and having suffered the effects of the conflict and perhaps also from having other illnesses at the same time,” he told reporters in Geneva.
