Key Takeaways
- At least 88 cases of monkeypox have been recorded among refugees in Africa, with 68 of them in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- The initial symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, enlarged lymph nodes, chills and fatigue.
- The international community is called on to allocate $21.4 million to prevent and combat the disease among 9.9 million displaced people in 35 African countries.
Geneva: At least 88 cases of monkeypox have been recorded among refugees in Africa, including 68 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.
“At least 88 mpox cases have been reported among refugees in Africa, with 68 of them among refugees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the country that has recorded the highest number of cases globally. Cases have also been reported among refugees in the Republic of the Congo and Rwanda,” the agency said on Wednesday.
UNHCR also called on the international community to allocate $21.4 million to prevent and combat the disease among 9.9 million displaced people in 35 African countries.
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, is a rare infectious disease that is also transmitted between people. It is usually a mild disease that most people recover from within a few weeks, but some may have complications. The initial symptoms of mpox include fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, enlarged lymph nodes, chills and fatigue. A rash may develop, often starting on the face and then spreading to other parts of the body.
