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KINSHASA. – Fear and contagion are spreading in Kamituga, eastern DRC, the epicenter of the current mpox outbreak. It is where the newest variant of the virus was discovered last year. Inside the Kamituga general hospital, Diego looked on as health workers tended to his young son, Emile.

“I had a lot of ignorance because I didn’t believe that children could get this disease. I thought it was only for adults, and I didn’t know that there were children here getting treated. When I saw children here, I was scared.”

Regarded as South Kivu province’s commercial hub, the gold mining town of Kamituga, of some 300,000 people, attracts miners, sex workers and traders who are constantly on the move.

Since the outbreak began, nearly 1,000 people in Kamituga have been infected and at least eight have died, including four children.

Covered in lesions, 2-year-old Emile watched silently as healthcare workers poured water over him to lower his temperature.

Kamituga, one of the hardest hit towns in the province, has an average of five new cases daily at the Kamituga hospital. Health officials say the virus is more widespread than what’s being documented, with a lack of access to rural areas.

Authorities say 3 million doses are needed to end the outbreak in the vast country. – Africanews.com