In the last week alone, 11 Mpox cases were recorded in this city and are being treated at the General Reference Hospital in Kinshasa. This contrasts with the 23 cases registered since early 2024, provincial health director Praticien Gongo told the Congolese Press Agency (ACP, in French).

The doctor cited concerns about the rapid spread of Mpox cases in the country due to a new strain of the virus, detected in South Kivu, eastern DRC, in September 2023, which is more deadly and more transmissible.

To date, seven of Kinshasa’s 35 health zones have been affected by the epidemic; the situation is much more worrying due to the movement of people from the most affected provinces.

President Felix Tshisekedi announced on Thursday a first disbursement of 10 million dollars to anticipate the first batch of Mpox vaccines, during an audience granted to Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa-CDC).

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