Burundi Unicef sees children particularly at risk from new Mpox variant

The UN Children's Fund Unicef believes that children are particularly at risk from the new variant of the disease Mpox. Etleva Kadilli, Unicef Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, has called for the needs of children to be given special priority in the fight against infection.

She described the situation in Burundi as particularly alarming, where the number of infections has almost doubled within a week according to the latest figures from the African health authority CDC Africa. According to Kadilli, 60 percent of cases of the disease have been detected in children and adolescents, with a fifth of cases in children under the age of five. In addition, measles has broken out in several parts of Burundi and many children are unvaccinated and malnourished.

According to the CDC, the focus of the Mpox outbreaks continues to be in Central Africa, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where almost 17,800 cases have been reported since the beginning of the year.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the highest alert level due to the Mpox outbreaks in Africa and the new, potentially more dangerous variant - known as clade Ib. Preparations are currently underway for the arrival of 50,000 vaccine doses in the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as in Burundi, Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda.