The Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene, and Social Welfare in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has reported 529 new suspected cases of Mpox, with 135 confirmed within just one week. To date, a total of 603,338 individuals have been vaccinated.
In its epidemiological report on the Mpox outbreak, the Ministry noted a gradual shift in the affected demographic, with cases increasingly occurring among older children rather than just young children. This trend has been observed both in endemic areas and in the eastern provinces, particularly the Kivus.
The co-circulation of new cases has been identified across 10 provinces and 52 health zones, which includes five endemic areas: Kiri, Oshwe, Bosondjo, Opala, and Yalimbongo, as detailed in the report.
Furthermore, the Ministry has pinpointed three critical hotspots with a positivity rate exceeding 50%: Sud-Ubangi, Sankuru, and Sud-Kivu. A strengthened response is currently being implemented in Sud-Ubangi in collaboration with UNICEF.
Since the start of the year, the Democratic Republic of Congo has documented a total of 90,994 Mpox cases, including 26,613 confirmed cases.
