More than 500 Mpox patients have fled hospitals in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo over the last month amid the current conflict.
Officials at Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), a leading health agency on the continent, say they are worried as the missing patients risk spreading the highly contagious disease that is suspected to have killed at 900 people .
The patients fled from facilities in Goma and Bukavu – two cities that descended into chaos as they were seized by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels over the past weeks.
Mpox – formerly known as monkeypox – can cause symptoms such as lesions, headaches and fever.
According to Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, since the start of this year, almost 2,890 Mpox cases and 180 deaths have been reported in the country, which has been the epicentre of several recent outbreaks.
The situation has been further complicated by the M23’s decision to close a network of camps in Goma where tens of thousands of people who had sought refuge from fighting in recent years.
They were given 72 hours to leave last week, although the M23 later said it was encouraging “voluntary returns”.
