Mpox case confirmed in Bunia as DR Congo battles worst Ebola outbreak on record
A laboratory-confirmed mpox case has been identified in Bunia, the city at the centre of DR Congo's worst Ebola outbreak on record, raising fears of a resurgence of the disease.
A laboratory-confirmed case of mpox has been identified in Bunia, the northeastern Congolese city at the centre of the country’s worst Ebola outbreak on record, raising concerns about a resurgence of the disease.
The case involves a 21-year-old woman who was admitted to hospital on Thursday with lesions across her body consistent with mpox, the director of a local hospital, Davin Ambitapio Musungufu, said. She tested positive on Friday, Musungufu and two health officials told Reuters.
A second woman, aged 32, has been identified as a suspected mpox case and is awaiting laboratory results. Both women have been isolated and are being cared for by a dedicated medical team, and investigations are under way to trace contacts and identify the source of infection, Musungufu said.
Dr Adelard Lofungola, a health official who served as deputy incident manager for Congo’s mpox response, said five suspected mpox cases in Bunia were currently under investigation, and that health officials had reported an increase in mpox cases in several parts of the country over the past month. He said the Ebola outbreak’s impact on Congo’s health system was complicating efforts to monitor other infections.
The mpox case was confirmed on Friday, TimesLIVE reported.
The Ebola epidemic was declared on May 15 in Ituri province, where Bunia is located, and has infected 7,890 people and killed 3,799, according to government data published on Thursday. Congo declared an end to mpox as a national public health emergency in April after a three-year outbreak that resulted in more than 34,000 confirmed cases nationwide, though authorities cautioned at the time that the virus had not been eradicated and could resurge.
Mpox is a viral disease that causes fever and skin lesions and spreads through close physical contact.
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