The DRC consists of 26 provinces and has approximately 100 million inhabitants. (File)
DR Congo:
An MPox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed 548 people since the start of the year, with all provinces affected by the virus, the health minister said in a statement on Thursday.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared Africa’s MPOX wave a global public health emergency on Wednesday, concerned about the increase in cases in the DRC and the spread to nearby countries.
“According to the latest epidemiological report, our country has recorded 15,664 potential cases and 548 deaths since the beginning of the year,” Health Minister Samuel-Roger Kamba said in a separate video message seen by AFP on Thursday.
The DRC consists of 26 provinces and has approximately 100 million inhabitants.
The most affected provinces are South Kivu, North Kivu, Tshopo, Equateur, North Ubangi, Tshuapa, Mongala and Sankuru, Kamba said.
The U.N. health agency’s decision came the day after the African Union’s health watchdog declared its own public health emergency over the growing outbreak.
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