The East African Community (EAC) on Monday called on its eight member states to educate their citizens on how to protect themselves and prevent the spread of mpox (monkeypox), an infectious disease caused by the mpox virus.
The alert follows reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) that Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), both members of the EAC, are experiencing an outbreak of the viral disease mpox, the EAC said in a statement issued from its headquarters in Arusha. The statement said Burundi had confirmed three cases of mpox in the western region of the country, verified by national laboratories and the WHO. Since 2022, the DRC has reported more than 21,000 cases of mpox and more than 1,000 deaths, according to the WHO.
