Urgent response needed: Addressing Mpox risks in Goma's displacement camps

“Mpox cases have already been detected in every province of DR Congo. Only in one week in October WHO has registered 127 new laboratory-tested cases and 2162 suspected cases. Considering the limited testing capacity, there is reason to believe this figure may be higher,” says James Curtis, Executive Director of DRC Eastern Africa & Great Lakes.

Mpox is an illness caused by the monkeypox virus. It is a viral infection that can spread between people, mainly through close contact (World Health Organization, 2024).

On 14 August, WHO determined that the upsurge of Mpox in DR Congo and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern.

At-risk areas for transmission

Over the last twelve months, approximately 630,000 people have fled the war and now live in poor conditions at the periphery of Goma in the eastern DR Congo.

Lushagala and Lushagala Extension camps alone, where DRC Danish Refugee Council is offering humanitarian assistance to recently displaced populations, accommodate over 90,000 women, children, and men who have lost their assets and livelihoods and now live in emergency shelters.

Due to their high population density and limited access to basic sanitation, displacement camps, and settlements are extremely vulnerable to the spread of the outbreak.