Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo - Recent

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has recorded more than 16,000 mpox cases and over 500 deaths since early 2024.

Facing an overwhelming number of patients, the country's health system is crumbling due to lack of resources.

The infections are spreading fast in the DRC, causing fear among the population.

Though the disease is largely spread through close contact, scientists say one of the strains of the mpox virus is transmitted from wild animals to people. The country's health minister has warned the public against eating dead animals.

The disease has spread to neighboring countries, prompting the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency.

Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the Monkeypox virus. Its symptoms include fever, headache and skin rash.

The outbreak in the DRC has come at a time when the country is grappling with an armed conflict in the east. Authorities say they need 49 million dollars to curb the disease that was first detected in the country in 1970.

Shotlist:
Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo - Recent:
1. Medics walking;
2. Medics discussing;
3. Various of medic giving injection;
4. SOUNDBITE (Lingala, dubbed with English) Monique Kamwanya Kabongo, nurse, Kinshasa MPOX Treatment Center:
"We are working in terrible conditions. We don't have enough protective gear, yet this is a very contagious disease. The number of cases is increasing every day. A patient arrived this morning, but we were unable to find a place for him.";
5. Various of patient waiting;
6. Government staffer talking to residents;
7. SOUNDBITE (Lingala, dubbed with English) Nathan Pungu, relative of mpox patient:
"My cousin got sick. At first, we thought it was an ordinary illness, but then it worsened. We brought him to the hospital and after consultations, he was diagnosed with the mpox virus. He has been hospitalized for four days.";
8. Press conference in progress;
9. SOUNDBITE (French, dubbed with English) Roger Kamba, DRC Minister of Health:
"We are not prohibiting people from eating bushmeat, but we are just warning them to avoid eating dead or sick animals. You should also make sure that the bushmeat you choose to eat is cooked properly to avoid contamination. This is a serious public health issue.";
10. Various of government staffer broadcast information about mpox;
11. Aerial shot of buildings, trees.

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