The UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, issued an urgent appeal for nearly $59 million on Friday to halt the rapid spread of mpox in six African countries including Burundi, where youngsters have been impacted the most.
“Children in Burundi are bearing the brunt of the mpox outbreak with alarming rates of infection and health impacts,” said Dr Paul Ngwakum, UNICEF Regional Health Advisor for Eastern and Southern Africa. “Of the nearly 600 reported cases, two-thirds are children under 19 years old and the situation is escalating really rapidly with more than [a] 40 per cent increase in cases over the last three weeks.”
To date in Burundi there have been no reported deaths from mpox.
The UNICEF official insisted that with funding and prompt action, “we have an opportunity to end this outbreak in a very short time period because the geographical area is kind of limited and with concerted effort from all partners, I think, we can limit the spread; we can contain the virus so we can stop the outbreak without any loss of life”.
Following the start of the school year earlier this week in Burundi, the UN agency remains concerned about the rise of mpox among children under five years of age, who represent 30 per cent of reported cases. To help teachers and parents understand the risks and minimize disruption, the UN agency has supported the education authorities to implement health measures in schools, train staff to recognize early symptoms of mpox and reinforce hand hygiene.
“Make no mistake, we don’t have all the answers. No one does. This is a rapidly evolving situation, with a new, infectious strain, and we are learning more every day about different modes of transmission. And with more information, we update our messaging and our response,” said Dr Ngwakum.
The UNICEF appeal will also provide mental health support for parents and frontline workers who may face hostility from some communities in part because of the association of mpox with sex, which is responsible for some transmission – but by no means all of it.
“Sex in Africa is not something that is spoken of on a daily basis. And if they think you are having a sexually transmitted disease, it stigmatizes you as well,” explained Dr Ngwakum. “We try to explain that this is not the case. Most children have it from body-to-body contact or contact with animals or contact with infected materials, which is not having anything to do with human-to-human sexual contamination.”
Communities also remain fearful of a repeat of previous serious health outbreaks such as Ebola or COVID-19, “so there is an important role we are playing to dispel myths, and calm fears”, the UNICEF official explained.
Highlighting the stark contrast between the high number of suspected deaths from mpox in DRC and Burundi, Dr Margaret Harris from the UN World Health Organization (WHO) explained that this was likely owing to the longstanding humanitarian emergency in eastern DRC.
“Many of the children whom we've seen horribly, sadly die in the Democratic Republic of Congo were very immuno-suppressed through being severely malnourished and having suffered the effects of conflict and perhaps also having other diseases at the same time,” she told journalists in Geneva.
Story: Mpox update Burundi, DRC - UNICEF, WHO
Speakers:
TRT: 02’56”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 20 September 2024 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
RESTRICTIONS: None
SHOTLIST
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday voiced alarm at the loss of life as a result of the escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNICEF , WHO
As Lebanon mourns the victims of a wave of Israeli airstrikes believed to have left hundreds dead, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday against a return to the “dark days of 2006” when full-scale war broke out, calling for an urgent de-escalation and the protection of civilians.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif on Tuesday highlighted the continued appalling human rights situation in Myanmar.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Climate crisis: New technologies offer hope for global action, says UN weather agency
Amid renewed warnings from leading climate scientists that global warming could reach 3°C above pre-industrial levels this century, the head of the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) insisted on Wednesday that new technologies and AI offer the opportunity to implement the drastic action needed to resist the existential crisis.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Tuesday published its latest report on the human rights situation in Myanmar, detailing a range of serious violations that continue to underscore the deepening crisis and lack of rule of law throughout the country.
1
1
1
Edited News | HRC
Violence meted out to opponents of the Venezuelan authorities has reached unprecedented levels, a top independent human rights probe alleged on Tuesday, citing arrests, sexual abuse and torture as just some of the methods used by the Government of President Nicolas Maduro to stay in power.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
In northeast Nigeria, UN humanitarians are rushing to assist scores of newly displaced people after torrential rains caused a dam to collapse and flood the area, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNCTAD
Gaza’s economy has “collapsed months ago” while in the West Bank, violence and trade restrictions are fueling a massive surge in poverty and unemployment, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) warned on Thursday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Human rights violations and abuses by all parties to the conflict in Sudan continue to spiral out of control, says Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy Human Rights to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Northern Gaza-bound UN convoy stopped ahead of polio vaccination campaign in the area – WHO
Safe and sustained access is essential for the success of the polio vaccination campaign in Northern Gaza and UN humanitarians will try again to reach the area with fuel following an attempt blocked by the Israeli military, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
'Human rights are our mainstay against unbridled power and can steer us towards greater justice and stability' says Volker Türk, UN Human Rights Chief at the 57th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | HRC
Sudan crisis: Rights investigators demand arms embargo extension to end ‘rampant’ abuses
Top human rights investigators into Sudan’s brutal war called on Friday for a country-wide arms embargo as they recounted harrowing testimony of victims of horrific sexual attacks whose bodies are viewed as a “theatre of operation” by fighters acting with total impunity.