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As of 3 November, cases among children in the DRC had increased by over 130% from about 11,300 suspected cases to 25,600, while in Burundi, Mpox has risen from 89 confirmed child cases to around 1,100 since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on 14 August.
The new and aggressive strain of the potentially deadly Mpox virus is spreading rapidly among children in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi, with cases more than doubling since a public health emergency was declared in mid-August, Save the Children said.
The fast-moving clade 1b strain has disproportionately affected children in the DRC – the epicenter of the outbreak – and in Burundi, where they face severe health risks due to hunger, displacement, and limited healthcare. These two countries account for 92% of all Mpox cases in Africa this year.
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As of 3 November, cases among children in the DRC had increased by over 130% from about 11,300 suspected cases to 25,600, while in Burundi, Mpox has risen from 89 confirmed child cases to around 1,100 since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on 14 August.
The overall risk to the population in the DRC and Burundi remains critically high, particularly to children who are nearly four times more likely to die from the new strain of mpox than adults. Malnourished children in areas with poor sanitation and limited healthcare lacking access to testing and vaccines are at an even greater risk of contracting and succumbing to the virus.
