, Africa CDC Warn of Disease Surge as M23 Rebels Seize Key Cities
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!More than 500 mpox patients have fled treatment facilities in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over the past month as fighting escalates, raising concerns about a wider outbreak of the highly contagious disease. Officials from Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warn that the missing patients could accelerate the spread of mpox, which is suspected to have killed around 900 people in the country last year.
Patients fled from clinics in Goma and Bukavu—two cities that recently fell to the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. The conflict has devastated healthcare infrastructure, with looting and destruction at medical facilities. “We were looted. We lost equipment. It was a disaster,” said Dr. Samuel Muhindo, head of the Mugunga health facility in Goma. He reported that 128 patients fled after the fighting intensified in late January, leaving healthcare workers unable to track them after clinic paperwork was destroyed.
Mpox—formerly known as monkeypox—causes symptoms such as lesions, headaches, and fever. Since the beginning of 2024, nearly 2,890 mpox cases and 180 deaths have been recorded in DRC, which has been the epicenter of multiple outbreaks. The situation is exacerbated by the M23 rebels’ recent closure of displacement camps in Goma, forcing tens of thousands of people to leave. Many of these displaced individuals could unknowingly be carrying the disease back to their home regions, raising fears of a wider outbreak.
Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, Africa CDC’s mpox incident manager, urged immediate action, saying, “We are calling for a ceasefire and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to facilitate mpox interventions.” His concerns were heightened by the recent detection of a new mpox variant with “high potential for higher transmissibility” in DRC.
The ability to respond to the crisis remains severely hampered by the conflict and a lack of funding. In Goma, looters stripped hospitals of medicine, gloves, and personal protective equipment, further crippling the response. While the UN and the British government helped reopen the Mugunga health facility, the hospital is already overwhelmed, with four to five patients often sharing a single bed.
Sadiki Bichichi Aristide, a 23-year-old patient at Mugunga, described the dire conditions: “I fled from Minova to Goma when the M23 rebels advanced. In the displacement camp, I developed lesions on my hands. Many others were infected before I reached the clinic.” His story reflects the broader health crisis unfolding as conflict and disease intersect.
UNICEF health specialist Dr. Oummani Rouafi stressed that Mugunga was only able to reopen because staff had hidden medical supplies before looters arrived—an exception rather than the rule in a region where many other treatment centers were completely ransacked.
With the conflict worsening and rebel forces taking more territory, the risk of a nationwide mpox outbreak is growing. Humanitarian organizations continue to push for urgent international intervention, but without a ceasefire and improved access to medical aid, the situation in eastern DRC remains dire.
