In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the number of cases of MPox has been rising for more than two years. The rapid spread of the disease led the health authorities to declare an epidemic in December 2022. In 2023, almost 14,626 suspected cases and 654 deaths (a case-fatality rate of 4.5%) had been reported across the country.
Things got even worse in 2024: from January to mid-July, more than 12,300 suspected cases were notified, and 479 deaths have already been reported. 1 The dynamics of the infection have taken on worrying proportions, with expansion into 23 of the country's 26 provinces and the appearance of a genetic mutation in South Kivu, leading to uninterrupted human-to-human transmission of the virus for months.
MPox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. It is endemic in many provinces of the DRC, particularly in the north and centre of the country. Confirmed cases of MPox have also been reported in the Goma and Nyiragongo health zones in North Kivu, raising fears of a major spread in a city with a population of two million, plus between 600,000 and 1 million displaced people living in cramped conditions and in unhygienic conditions.
MSF teams have launched several interventions in support of the health authorities across countries. The teams operate in the Uvira health zone in South Kivu, in the Goma and Nyirangonga health zones in North Kivu, in the Bikoro health zone in Equateur and the Budjala health zone in the South-Ubangi. Since June 2024, more than 750 patients.