PUBLIC ADVISORY NO. 2024-11 - Cases of Mpox in DR Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya

Details: Published: 31 July 2024

PUBLIC ADVISORY NO. 2024-11

Cases of Mpox in DR Congo, Burundi, Rwanda and Kenya

Filipino communities in East Africa are advised that there is an ongoing Mpox (formerly known as monkey pox) outbreak affecting several regions in East Africa.

The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat issued an alert^[1] on Mpox on 29 July 2024 following a World Health Organization (WHO) situation report^[2] published on 28 June 2024. Following are the latest pronouncements:

Country	Situation
Burundi	The Ministry of Health announced its first three cases of Mpox on 25 July 2024^[3].
DRC	Per the WHO report, Mpox cases have been reported in 23 out of the 26 provinces of the DRC. The most affected provinces in 2024 are Equateur, Sud Ubangi, Sankuru and South Kivu. Over 21,000 cases and 1,00 deaths have been reported since 2022 with a new variant detected in South Kivu in early 2024.
Republic of Congo	Per the WHO report, no new cases have been reported in the last month after declaring a national mpox epidemic on 23 April 2024.
Rwanda	The Ministry of Health reported its first two cases on 27 July 2024. The Rwandan Biomedical Centre launched its information campaign^[4] on the same date.
Kenya	The Ministry of Health confirmed its first case of Mpox at the Taita Taveta border this afternoon.^[5]

Mpox can be spread between people through sexual contact, non-sexual direct contact (including respiratory droplets), as well as household (contaminated objects) and healthcare facility contact.

Attached are WHO infographics on what you need to know about Mpox and what to do if you are recovering from Mpox.

The Embassy urges the Filipino community to stay informed and adhere to the prescribed public health advisories and response measures to prevent local and international spread of the disease.

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