Monkeypox outbreak declared in eastern DR Congo

Kinshasa, DRC | Xinhua | The government of Maniema, a province in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), officially declared Thursday the monkeypox outbreak.

With 191 monkeypox cases, including 24 deaths, reported since September 27, 2021, Afani Idrissa Mangala, the acting governor of Maniema, declared in a statement the outbreak in the province.

The outbreak was confirmed after the confirmation of samples sent to the National Institute of Biomedical Research (INRB), said Mangala, calling on the population to be vigilant and to consult the nearest health centers in case of fever.

In November 2021, a measles outbreak broke out in the same province.

Monkeypox was first identified in 1958, amongst laboratory monkeys. The first human cases were discovered in 1970 in the DRC. Fever, itchy toes, headache, muscle pain, and swollen lymph nodes, among others, have been identified as the symptoms of the disease.

The disease is not deadly and can be cured through the smallpox vaccine.

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Xinhua