International
Over 500 Mpox Patients Flee Clinics Amid DR Congo Conflict
- Over 500 mpox patients have fled clinics in DR Congo amid escalating conflict.
- Africa CDC warns of increased outbreak risk as missing patients remain untraceable.
- Looting and displacement worsen medical crisis, with clinics struggling to operate.
More than 500 mpox patients have fled clinics in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) over the past month, raising fears of further spread of the highly contagious disease amid ongoing conflict.
Health officials at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have expressed deep concern, warning that the missing patients pose a significant public health risk. Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is suspected to have caused around 900 deaths in DR Congo last year.
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The patients escaped from facilities in Goma and Bukavu, two cities that have been thrown into turmoil after being seized by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in recent weeks.
“We were looted. We lost equipment. It was a disaster,” said Dr. Samuel Muhindo, who oversees a clinic in Goma.
Mpox causes symptoms such as skin lesions, fever, and severe headaches. Since the start of 2024, nearly 2,890 cases and 180 deaths have been reported in DR Congo, which has been at the epicenter of multiple recent outbreaks, according to Africa CDC.
Dr. Muhindo recounted how 128 patients fled Goma’s Mugunga health centre in late January amid intense fighting. With clinic records destroyed, tracing them has been nearly impossible.
HIV/AIDS Mpox NACA
In another facility, Bisengimana Hospital in Goma, looters ransacked medical supplies and protective equipment. Fires were set outside the hospital, and when the perpetrators left, patient records were scattered across the floor.
The crisis has been further exacerbated by the M23’s recent decision to close displacement camps in Goma, forcing tens of thousands of internally displaced people to leave. Though the rebels later called for “voluntary returns,” the forced displacements have heightened fears of a wider mpox outbreak.
“Now we are afraid of an epidemic in the areas where these displaced people have returned,” Dr. Muhindo warned. His concerns are shared by the Africa CDC, which is urging an immediate ceasefire and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor to continue mpox interventions.
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In just the past week, the number of missing mpox patients has increased by 100 as fighting intensifies and the rebels gain more ground, according to Africa CDC. Dr. Ngashi Ngongo, the agency’s mpox incident manager, revealed that a new variant of the virus—believed to have a higher transmission potential—has also been detected in DR Congo.
Efforts to control the outbreak have been severely hampered by the ongoing war between the M23 and the Congolese army, as well as chronic funding shortages. While the Mugunga mpox facility—supported by UNICEF and UK Aid Direct—recently reopened, it remains overwhelmed, with up to five patients sometimes forced to share a single bed.
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