Migrants and other minority and mobile populations including those displaced by natural emergencies and conflict are much more susceptible to infection because of poor living conditions and “significant barriers” that many people face when seeking help, The International Organization for Migration explains.
“The spread of mpox across East Africa, the Horn of Africa and Southern Africa is of serious concern.especially for vulnerable migrants, mobile populations and displaced communities often overlooked in such crises“, Amy Pope said, IOM “We must act quickly to protect those most at risk and minimize the impact of this outbreak on the region,” said the director general.
Migration Center
Mpox has been affecting people in the African region for more than a decade, the UN agency said. note that The Horn of Africa, east and south are home to 12.2 million international migrants – nearly half of all migrants in Africa.
Highlighting data from the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO), IOM noted that as of August 8, Of the 12 African countries reporting outbreaks, six are in that region. As of July, new cases have emerged in Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, places previously unaffected., with cross-border transmission considered a factor in the spread of disease.
IOM’s appeal to 13 countries – Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Eswatini, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – aims to support prevention, control and response measures, particularly at border crossings. The appeal will help fund awareness-raising activities among migrant and host communities, along with internally displaced people.
“This preparedness and response plan is intended to to prepare and respond to the expected increase in Mpox cases And minimize the spread and the potential negative impacts as the virus spreads across the region,” the UN agency said.
Disease concentration
IOM notes that the region’s role as a “origin, destination and transit hub” for migrants could hinder disease prevention, and said there were plans in place to continue building the capacity of national health workers and frontline responders, while also enabling the identification of high-risk areas to ensure effective disease monitoring and reduce the spread from one country to another.
“Vulnerable populations such as migrants and internally displaced people who are affected or at risk of being affected by mpox must be provided with the necessary health care and protection, especially in areas with limited access to such services and high numbers of migrants and displaced people,” the IOM said in a statement.
International health threat
The UN agency’s announcement comes a week since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern, following the rapid spread of a new strain known as group 1b from eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Group 1b is primarily transmitted sexually, although the WHO said on Tuesday that more research is needed into other potential modes of transmission from the blisters associated with the disease, such as contaminated bed linen.
Latest WHO data shows More than 15,000 suspected cases in DRC including 537 deaths so farThe total number of mpox cases worldwide is more than 100,000.
The disease is known to be transmitted from animals to humans and is spread through close contact with an infected individual or animal through respiratory droplets, blood, body fluids or lesions. Symptoms include fever, rash, headache, sore throat, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and back pain.
This is ours The UN bulletin explains the important information you need to know about mpox.
