The UK government has committed to providing up to £3 million [cerca de 3,5 milhões de euros] To a new partnership with UNICEF [Fundo Internacional de Emergência das Nações Unidas para a Infância] “To support the Congolese government’s response to the smallpox and cholera epidemics,” Ray Collins announced at a press conference in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa.
He said the smallpox epidemic “does not affect just one country, it is everywhere.”
The British politician called for international solidarity in the face of the outbreak, which is mainly focused on South Kivu province, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, an area affected by conflict for more than 30 years.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, a country bordering Angola, has recorded 16,700 cases and 570 deaths from smallpox this year, which mainly affects young people, Congolese Minister of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare Roger Kamba said at a news conference on Monday.
Kamba announced that the Democratic Republic of the Congo expects to receive more than three million doses of vaccines from Japan, Belgium and the United States, with the first batch expected to arrive later this week.
“Thanks to Belgium, the Democratic Republic of the Congo will receive 215,000 doses. Japan, for its part, will send about three million doses (…). The North American government will also send us vaccines,” the Congolese minister said.
Last week, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC Africa) declared the outbreak a public health emergency of continental concern, and a day later, the World Health Organization raised the alert level to global.
The African Union (AU) public health agency will report today on the evolution of the virus, which is endemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo but is spreading to provinces and countries where it has never been seen before, such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
At least 13 African countries have reported cases of smallpox so far, according to the latest data from the Africa CDC.
Between 2023 and 2024, there was a 160% increase in smallpox cases in Africa, according to monitoring firm Cassia, which said last week that more than 10 million doses of the vaccine are needed to contain the emergency, far short of the 200,000 available.
Smallpox is a viral disease that spreads from animals to humans, but is also transmitted through close physical contact. The disease causes fever, muscle pain, and skin lesions.
