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South Kivu: 290 cases of Mpox patients recorded in Kimbi-Lulenge
August 26, 2024
Kinshasa, August 25, 2024 (ACP).- 290 cases of patients with monkeypox (Mpox) were recorded in the Kimbi-Lulenge health zone, Fizi territory in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, ACP learned on Saturday from a health source.
" Until the day of August 22, 2024, the daily report in my possession indicates 290 cases of Mpox patients in the Kimbi-Lulenge health zone since mid-December with the epicenter, the city of Misisi in the Ngandja sector, Fizi territory. We have four new alerts and four investigated alerts, four validated, one alert collected with 19 patients under treatment, three of whom have already been discharged ," said Mr. Bora Lukanda, chief medical officer of the Kimbi-Lulenge health zone. According to this health authority, all the medical structures in his health zone are currently affected.
Patients presenting signs and symptoms of Mpox in this health zone are referred to the Kilembwe General Reference Hospital for those on this axis, and those on the Kimbi axis are transferred to the Lulimba hospital center.
North Kivu: full care provided for 72 confirmed Mpox cases
Seventy-two cases of monkeypox (Mpox) were confirmed at the end of this week in North Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, since the first case was reported on June 1 in the urban health zone of Karisimbi-Goma, where comprehensive patient care is provided. "We have up to this day, at the end of the week that just ended, seventy-two confirmed cases. This is a cumulative number since the first case was reported. With the support of partners, a zonal approach is being advocated by identifying the large hospital structures that are supposed to organize proper complex or holistic medical, nutritional and even psycho-social care," said Dr. Gaston Lubambo, head of the provincial health division in North Kivu.
The head of the provincial health division in North Kivu also mentioned the ongoing mobilization of all necessary resources to strengthen prevention against infections at the community level (PCI).
"The community must be informed about the disease and how to prevent it," he said. He suggested to this effect that, at the level of public establishments, offices and others, there should be preventive measures, emphasizing that the routes of contamination are easy. According to him, a person who is contaminated but unaware of his condition can contaminate as many others, especially since the incubation period of Mpox varies from 5 to 21 days. "Before the obvious symptoms can appear, the person carrying the disease can contaminate as many other people who have been in contact with him," continued Mr. Lubambo.
Kwango: 32 Mpox cases reported in six health zones
The Kwango province, in the southwest of the DRC, has reported, to date, 32 cases of monkeypox (Mpox) in 6 health zones of the provincial health division (DPS) of this province. "The Kwango province has recorded 32 cases since the beginning of 2024, in 6 health zones out of 14 in this province, including 1 death reported in the Panzi health zone," said Apollinaire Yumba Tiabakwau, provincial Minister of Health of Kwango. In addition to the Kenge zone, there are the zones of Mwela-Lembwa, Kitenda, Kasongo-Lunda, Boko and Panzi where one death was recorded.
For his part, the coordinator of the expanded vaccination program, Dr. Léon Makambu pleaded for financial and logistical support to detect cases lingering in the community. "We have already reported 32 cases of Mpox and one death. The Kenge health zone is the top one with 15 cases and the death was recorded in the Panzi health zone. Six out of 14 zones are affected and the rest are silent. The disease is progressing in a crescendo fashion. The management is local and based on the clinical signs that the patients present. But it requires consistent support for regular and ongoing investigation in order to boost especially the health zones that are silent ," said the doctor Coordinating the expanded vaccination program (PEV) in Kwango.
Kinshasa: Awareness of the fight against the Mpox epidemic in a Protestant parish
View of the assembly
The faithful of the International Protestant Parish of Kinshasa, a community of the Church of Christ in Congo, were made aware of the need to respect barrier gestures to protect themselves against the Mpox epidemic, during a Sunday service, at the Protestant Centenary Cathedral, in Kinshasa, capital of the DRC.
"We are bringing to everyone's attention the existence of the Mpox epidemic, called monkey pox, right here in Kinshasa. And we are advised to wash our hands regularly and avoid any contact with people suffering from this disease," said Pastor Alfred Kiboba, one of the leaders of this church.
Pastor Alfred called on every believer to apply themselves seriously in order to protect their family members. To date, there are seven health zones out of 35 that are affected by this epidemic in Kinshasa.
The Limete health zone, more precisely the industrial health area 2, is considered the epicenter of the Mpox or monkeypox epidemic in Kinshasa. The city of Kinshasa recorded during the week of August 12 to 18, 2024, 11 (eleven) confirmed cases of Mpox (monkeypox), who are currently under treatment and interned at the general reference hospital (formerly Mama Yemo hospital).
Bukavu: two new sites to relieve congestion in a hospital overwhelmed by Mpox patients
Two new sites will be operational this week at the Lwiro pediatric center and at the Miti General Hospital, respectively 40 and 23 km north of Bukavu, to relieve the pressure on the Karhanda/Kavumu hospital center in the Miti-Murhesa health zone in South Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which is currently overwhelmed with Mpox cases according to local health sources.
"We have decided to relieve the pressure on the Karhanda/Kavumu hospital (30km north of Bukavu) where there is a high incidence with high attendance of around 150 patients per day and which already reports 1,117 cases of Mpox out of the 4,779 currently in the province," said Dr. Justin Bengehya, epidemiologist and Mpox emergency manager at the health division in South Kivu. This specialist said that during the last visit to this hospital with UNICEF, it was decided to set up a tent at the Lwiro pediatric hospital and another at the Miti general hospital to reduce the spread of the disease from this medical facility.
We are already inviting the inhabitants of the surrounding villages of Lwiro and Miti-centre to refer patients and suspected cases of Mpox for free treatment since medicines have been made available in the Miti-Murhesa health zone, concludes Dr Justin Bengehya.
Haut-Lomami: twenty-one suspected cases of monkeypox including one death
Twenty-one cases of monkeypox (Mpox) causing the death of a man in his fifties are suspected in the Haut-Lomami province in the south-east of the DRC according to the health source.
"Twenty-one suspected cases of monkeypox in the Haut-Lomami province are distributed in the following three health zones: BAKA health zone (Kamina Base)/Kamina territory with three cases; Mulongo health zone/Malemba Nkulu territory with seventeen cases including one death and Kabondo health zone, Kabondo Dianda chiefdom/Bukama territory with one case," reports the report of the Health Information Bureau of the Haut-Lomami Provincial Health Division on the epidemiological situation consulted Sunday by the ACP in Kamina.
According to the report, these twenty-one suspected cases are not yet confirmed positive while waiting for the results of the INRB where samples taken from all these people were sent. "The province of Haut-Lomami has been experiencing psychosis for some time with the appearance of skin rashes on the bodies of some people," indicates the report on the epidemiological situation of the provincial division of Health of Haut-Lomami.
The same source reports that all these suspected cases are being treated in health centers in the three respective health zones. Vaccines and medical equipment required to combat this Mpox epidemic are lacking in Haut-Lomami, we learn from various local hospital environments.
Sud-Ubangi: two new suspected cases of Mpox identified in a health area
Two new suspected cases of Mpox were identified for the very first time in the health area of Nabolo, in Gemena, capital of the province of Sud-Ubangi, (North-West) of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the ACP learned on Saturday from a health source.
"Two cases of Mpox disease were suspected for the first time in the Nabolo health area located in the commune of Lac-ndumba in the city of Gemena, who are currently being treated free of charge in accordance with the instructions of the Gemena health zone, because the cases are still mild," said Sangi Bolo, nurse in charge of this health area.
According to him, Five (5) health areas out of 7 health areas in the commune of Lac-Ndumba are affected by suspected cases of Mpox. All 16 health zones in the province of Sud-Ubangi are affected by the Mpox epidemic. According to the latest report from the provincial division of Health (DPS) of Sud-Ubangi, 133 suspected cases have been identified across the province of Sud-Ubangi.
ACP/
https://acp.cd/sante/sud-kivu-290-cas-de-malades-de-mpox-enregistres-a-kimbi-lulenge/
