Emerging Cases of Mpox and the Healthcare Obstacle in Burundi
As the recent mpox outbreak in Burundi takes hold, 40-year-old patient Egide Irambona sits on his hospital bed, clearly impacted. A stinging reminder of the illness that has spread swiftly across the region, blisters cover his face, chest, and arms. As the sun sets gently on Burundi’s capital city of Bujumbura, Irambona describes his ordeal with the disease and the devastating effects it has had on his physical health.
The Burundi Mapox Pandemic: A Rapid Expansion
Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world, has suffered greatly due to mpox, also called monkeypox. A public health emergency has been declared as the number of confirmed cases in the nation exceeds 170 since last month. Near Burundi lies the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), site of multiple mpox epidemics that have killed more than 450 people and infected more than 14,000 people so far this year. Burundi has not yet reported any fatalities from the new strain, Clade 1b, but the country’s inadequate testing capability in the afflicted areas has caused alarm.
The potential for mpox to spread to previously untouched countries has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a global health emergency. Regardless, the rising number of cases is putting a strain on Burundi’s healthcare system. Irambona is one of three patients in Bujumbura who are undergoing treatment for mpox at the King Khaled University Hospital. Children under the age of fifteen, who are more susceptible to the virus, make up one-third of the 59-person occupancy rate at the institution, which is already at capacity.
Frontline Healthcare Professionals
The increasing patient load is a major worry for the hospital’s chief physician, Dr. Odette Nsavyimana. In order to handle the growing number of mpox cases, the hospital has had to erect temporary tents outside. As she adds, “We are now setting up tents outside.”. Makeshift triage centers, these tents house both confirmed and suspected cases until they are moved to the wards.
Young children, who are helpless in this scenario, are particularly vulnerable. Staying with an infected infant, regardless of the mother’s symptoms, is a challenging aspect of case management, as Dr. Nsavyimana explains. She continues, “It is such a tough situation,” her voice barely broken by the protective mask she is wearing. With just one facility nationwide that can diagnose the virus in blood samples, the burden on available resources is clear. Further complicating response operations is the lack of testing tools and immunizations.
Odette Nsavyimana is worried about the rise in mpox cases
Scarce Means and General Knowledge
A spike of mpox cases would overwhelm Burundi’s healthcare infrastructure. Because of the city’s water shortage and other basic resource constraints, Bujumbura struggles to keep its residents clean and safe from the spread of the virus. As a result of the high demand for flowing water, long lines form at public taps.
The head of the Centre for Public Health Emergency Operations on a national level, Dr. Liliane Nkengurutse, expresses her worries about the next several days. I am facing a significant obstacle. She says that the delay in discovering new cases is due to the fact that diagnostic is only done in one spot. Health centers nationwide are reporting possible cases, but the detection procedure is further delayed since laboratory teams need time to travel to these locations and collect samples. The situation is made worse by the time it takes to release test results. According to Dr. Nkengurutse, the country’s response to the epidemic may be improved with $14 million.
Burundi has not yet received any information regarding the distribution of vaccines, despite the fact that the adjacent DRC is anticipated to get them shortly. In a place where mpox is not widely known, the absence of a vaccine presents a serious threat.
How People Reacted to the Pandemic
Just twenty minutes from the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo lies the lively cross-border town of Bujumbura. The general public, however, is woefully uninformed of the dangers that the mpox outbreak poses. There is still a lot of life in the city, and people are going about their regular lives. The public’s complete lack of concern about the possible risks is demonstrated by the lengthy lines at bus stops and the persistence of personal contact, such as handshakes and hugs.
According to Dr. Nkengurutse, a lot of people in Bujumbura aren’t aware of how bad the outbreak is. “Even where there have been cases, people still just mingle,” according to her. A disturbing lack of understanding of mpox was shown through interviews with multiple locals. While some have first heard about the sickness through social media, others have voiced their fears while stressing the importance of working to support their families.
The Continual Struggle Against Mpox Healthcare providers in Burundi have an enormous challenge in stemming the transmission of mpox. Their responsibilities include treating an increasing number of patients and identifying and quarantining anyone who may have come into touch with the virus. This is an extremely difficult task for a nation that is already experiencing economic difficulties.
More drastic measures are required to stop the epidemic from getting out of hand as the situation continues to worsen. Many things need fixing in the healthcare system, like the capacity to test more people, the availability of vaccines, and the quality of public education initiatives. To aid Burundi in its fight against this new public health disaster, the international community must also acknowledge the gravity of the situation and supply the required funds.
Finally, the mpox epidemic in Burundi shows how weak the country’s healthcare system is and how urgent the situation is to stop the disease from spreading. The task at hand is extremely difficult given the available resources and the fact that most people are not aware of the dangers. There is optimism, nevertheless, that the epidemic may be limited and lives can be spared if national and international partners work together.
