Egide Irambona, who believes he caught mpox from a friend, may have also passed it on to his wife. In a hospital in Bujumbura, Burundi, Irambona describes how severe throat pain from swollen lymph nodes kept him from sleeping and eventually spread to his legs. He is among over 170 confirmed cases of mpox in Burundi, a country facing an outbreak of a new strain.
Burundi, one of the world’s poorest countries, shares a border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has been hit hard by mpox, leading to many deaths and cases. While there are no deaths reported in Burundi yet, the situation is serious enough to be called a global health emergency.
Irambona has been in treatment for nine days at King Khaled University Hospital. He thinks he contracted mpox from a friend with blisters and is concerned that he might have spread it to his wife. Thankfully, their seven children appear unaffected so far.
The hospital is overwhelmed, with almost all of its 61 beds occupied by mpox patients, many of whom are children. They are setting up tents outside to manage the increasing number of cases, but resources are scarce. There’s only one lab in the country for testing, and they lack sufficient testing kits and vaccines.
Public awareness about mpox is low, and people in Bujumbura continue their daily activities without understanding the risks. Many are unaware of the outbreak and the need for precautions, as noted by Dr. Liliane Nkengurutse. She emphasizes the urgency of improving the response with more resources and better public education.
This information is sourced from the BBC, which highlights the severe impact of mpox in Burundi and the ongoing challenges faced by healthcare workers and the public.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly3xzdq909o