Goma Teams Intensify Efforts to Identify Mpox Patients Amid Daily Surge in Cases

As mpox cases rise daily in Goma, Congo, health teams are working tirelessly to identify and treat affected patients, aiming to curb the outbreak.

Medical teams are toiling vigorously within a health facility in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, attempting to identify patients afflicted with monkeypox. The number of cases detected each day is on the upswing throughout the city.

On Wednesday, the World Health Organization designated the pox epidemics in Congo and other African regions as a worldwide crisis. The virus has manifested itself among both children and adults across more than 12 nations with a novel variation of it gaining ground.

At the beginning of this week, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention made known that more than 500 fatalities have resulted from mpox outbreaks which are now considered a public health crisis; they therefore appealed to other countries for assistance in preventing further transmission.

Dr. Rachel Maguru, Head of the Multi-Epidemic Center and General Practitioner at Goma Provincial Hospital reported that there have been nine confirmed cases of monkey pox since Friday (9 August). Those presenting with suspicious lesions are instantly isolated before a sample is taken.

The medical staff expressed concern, according to Dr. Maguru, that individuals with symptoms might avoid coming to the hospital due to fear of being isolated along with infected patients.

She mentioned that the aforementioned scenario could potentially trigger a chain reaction of infections since the pathogens would persist within their surroundings.

At the start of this year, a new variation of mpox that is even more deadly and has the ability to cause up to 10% fatalities was discovered in a mining town located within Congo. There were concerns among scientists regarding its potential for increased transmissibility. Mpox primarily spreads through close proximity with infected individuals, including sexual intercourse.

In contrast to past occurrences of mpox outbreaks that displayed lesions primarily on the chest, hands and feet, this new variant presents with less severe symptoms and generates lesions in the genital region. Consequently, it is more challenging to detect which may result in individuals unknowingly spreading infection to others.

According to Prof. Salim Abdool Karim, chair of the Emergency Consultative Group for the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, our number of cases is large and increasing with a mortality rate that surpasses acceptable levels. Additionally, new countries are beginning to report cases – some previously untouched by this disease in recent years- including several reporting instances of mpox’s variant currently circulating in DRC.