Mpox is an infectious viral disease that can occur in humans and other animals. Symptoms include a rash that forms blisters and then crusts over,fever,and swollen lymph nodes. The illness is usually mild,and most infected individuals recover within a few weeks without treatment. The time from exposure to the onset of symptoms ranges from three to seventeen days,and symptoms typically last from two to four weeks. However,cases may be severe,especially in children,pregnant women,or people with suppressed immune systems.
Mbuyamu Ilankir "Freddy" Matungulu (born January 4,1955 Belgian Congo is a Congolese economist. He was Minister of Finance of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 2001 to 2003.
The University of Kinshasa,colloquially known by its acronym UNIKIN,is a public university located in Kinshasa's Lemba commune within the western region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the country's premier university. Initially established in 1954 as Lovanium University during Belgian colonial rule,the current university was established following the division of the National University of Zaire (UNAZA) in 1981.
Dr. Oscar Kashala Lukumuena is a Boston-based scientist,clinical researcher,university professor,and senior executive in the biopharmaceutical industry in the United States of America (USA). He is a politician in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and was a reformer candidate in the 2006 presidential election and 2011 presidential elections.
Pneumococcal vaccines are vaccines against the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae. Their use can prevent some cases of pneumonia,meningitis,and sepsis. There are two types of pneumococcal vaccines:conjugate vaccines and polysaccharide vaccines. They are given by injection either into a muscle or just under the skin.
The Haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine,also known as Hib vaccine,is a vaccine used to prevent Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infection. In countries that include it as a routine vaccine,rates of severe Hib infections have decreased more than 90%. It has therefore resulted in a decrease in the rate of meningitis,pneumonia,and epiglottitis.
Seth Franklin Berkley is an American medical epidemiologist and a global advocate of the power of vaccines. He is the founder and former president and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and former CEO of Gavi,the Vaccine Alliance. He is currently a senior advisor to the Pandemic Center at Brown University School of Public Health.
Jean Marie Okwo-Bele is a Congolese physician,public health expert and former Director of the Department of Immunization,Vaccines and Biologicals of the World Health Organization (WHO).
Fally Ipupa N'simba,known professionally as Fally Ipupa,is a Congolese musician and dancer. Often referred to as the "Prince of Rumba",he is noted for his tenor vocals as well as his blend of contemporary and traditional Congolese music genres,including Congolese rumba,soukous,and ndombolo. His lyrics often cover themes of romance,suffering,and joy.
Samy Badibanga Ntita is a Congolese politician who was Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from November 2016 to May 2017. He was also on the ballot for the 2018 Democratic Republic of the Congo general election as a presidential candidate.
The 2018 Équateur province Ebola outbreak occurred in the north-west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) from May to July 2018. It was contained entirely within Équateur province,and was the first time that vaccination with the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine had been attempted in the early stages of an Ebola outbreak,with a total of 3,481 people vaccinated. It was the ninth recorded Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
The Kivu Ebola epidemic was an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) mainly in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC),and in other parts of Central Africa,from 2018 to 2020. Between 1 August 2018 and 25 June 2020 it resulted in 3,470 reported cases. The Kivu outbreak also affected Ituri Province,whose first case was confirmed on 13 August 2018. In November 2018,the outbreak became the biggest Ebola outbreak in the DRC's history,and had become the second-largest Ebola outbreak in recorded history worldwide,behind only the 2013–2016 Western Africa epidemic. In June 2019,the virus reached Uganda,having infected a 5-year-old Congolese boy who entered Uganda with his family,but was contained.
Jean-Jacques Muyembe is a Congolese microbiologist. He is the general director of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Institut National pour la Recherche Biomedicale (INRB). He was part of team at the Yambuku Catholic Mission Hospital that investigated the first Ebola outbreak,and was part of the effort that discovered Ebola as a new disease,although his exact role is still subject to controversy. In 2016,he led the research that designed,along with other researchers at the INRB and the National Institute of Health Vaccine Research Center in the US,one of the most promising treatment for Ebola,mAb114. The treatment was successfully tested during recent outbreaks in the DRC,on the express decision of the then DRC Minister of Health,Dr Oly Ilunga,despite advice against this from the World Health Organization.
The Institut National de la Recherche Biomédicale (INRB) is the national medical research organization of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The responsible ministry is the Ministry of Scientific Research and Technology.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have reached the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 10 March 2020. The first few confirmed cases were all outside arrivals.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention is a public health agency of the African Union to support the public health initiatives of member states and strengthen the capacity of their health institutions to deal with disease threats. The idea of an African CDC was proposed by the government of Ethiopia in 2013,during a TB/HIV special summit in Abuja,Nigeria. From 2013 to 2016,the modalities and statute of Africa CDC were developed,and the specialized agency was officially launched in January 2017.
Eteni Longondo is a Congolese doctor and politician. He is a Member of the UDPS,and a Minister of Health in the Sylvestre Ilunga government since September 2019.
Jean-Jacques Lumumba is a Congolese banker and whistleblower. In 2016,he revealed that the BGFIBank Group had covered up the embezzlement of tens of millions of dollars worth of public money by DRC president Joseph Kabila and his entourage.
An epidemic of a new variant of clade I mpox,called clade 1b,began in Central Africa at least as early as September 2023. As of September 2024,more than 29,000 cases have been reported,with over 800 fatalities,nearly all in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to the European CDC:"The size of these outbreaks could be larger than reported due to under-ascertainment and under-reporting."
This article documents the chronology and epidemiology of the 2023–2024 mpox epidemic,an outbreak of clade Ib of mpox.
