The mpox epidemic in the DRC is unfolding in a country already plagued by conflict, hunger and disease. Children are nearly four times more likely to die from mpox than adults, making them particularly vulnerable to this outbreak. Read the blog to learn more about the situation, our response, and how you can help.
Gabriel Elisha, 32, is Save the Children’s Water and Sanitation Hygine (WASH) officer overseeing the organisation’s mpox response in Uvira in the Democratic Republic of Congo. As of 20 October, the DRC has more than 35,000 suspected mpox cases and over 1,000 mpox-related deaths. Children are nearly four times more likely to die from mpox than adults, making them particularly vulnerable to this outbreak. Save the Children is responding to the mpox outbreak in North Kivu and South Kivu through water, sanitation and health services support, including providing PPE and training leaders in engagement, communication, and community alert systems for identifying and reporting suspected cases.
At 32, I find myself on the frontlines of a new and terrifying mpox variant that is moving swiftly between children in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This epidemic is unfolding against the backdrop of relentless conflict that has devastated the DRC and its healthcare system.
Violence here is nothing new. For decades, armed groups have turned this mountainous jungle region into a battlefield, displacing millions of people and forcing children into overcrowded camps, where diseases thrive. But this mpox variant is a new and vicious arrival in a place already crippled by hunger and other diseases and where families are already exhausted by the daily struggle for survival.
For the past few months, I’ve been at the forefront of Save the Children’s mpox response in Uvira, South Kivu. As the focal point for this epidemic, I oversee everything—from coordination efforts to supervising activities on the ground.
Recently, I was supervising awareness-raising activities about the infectious disease in a camp for sex workers where I met a young girl suffering from mpox. Lesions had formed around her internal organs and a rash covered her skin. She was crying, and I could see the excruciating pain in her eyes. Seeing her in such distress reminded me how important our work is—and how much more remains to be done.
When we first started our intervention, there was a feeling of distrust within the community. People didn’t believe in the disease, and some hid out of shame believing they contracted some kind of curse. But through persistent awareness campaigns—going door-to-door, broadcasting messages on the radio, and engaging with community leaders—we are seeing considerable progress within the community.
Our team is raising awareness on how families can protect themselves against mpox, how to identify its symptoms, and who is most vulnerable. However, some parents still resist treatment for their children. Due to extreme poverty, some parents prefer their children to be treated at home rather than leaving them for 21 days in an isolation centre. They fear that if they quarantine with their children, they won’t be able to support the rest of their family. Others rely on prayer or traditional treatments over modern medicine.
The conditions in the DRC make it a breeding ground for mpox and the disease is preying on the most vulnerable—children, the displaced, and those suffering from severe malnutrition—and frequently proves fatal. Here, these vulnerable groups often overlap. The DRC, home to one of the world's largest hunger crises, has over 6.4 million displaced people—more than half of them children living in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions with little access to food or healthcare, making them easy targets for mpox.
According to the latest hunger numbers, increased rates of acute malnutrition in the DRC has put 4.5 million children aged under five and over 3.7 million pregnant and breastfeeding women at heightened risk of contracting and dying of mpox.
The conditions we’re working in are incredibly tense given the sheer number of emergency cases to be managed. Not only do we have a rising number of mpox cases, but we are also dealing with an ongoing cholera outbreak, which remains endemic in this region. We are constantly juggling these two health emergencies, and the risks of contamination for all of us in the field are very real.
One of the biggest challenges we face in stopping the spread of mpox is transporting patients from local health centres to treatment facilities. Public transport is the only available option, and it’s often slow and overcrowded. Unfortunately, this method increases the risk of spreading the viral disease to other passengers.
The management of contact cases is another major hurdle. With limited resources, it’s a race against time to prevent further infections.
However, as a humanitarian worker, I am motivated by the desire to save lives—especially children, who are disproportionately affected by these crises. It’s a complex emergency with one crisis feeding another, but we are committed to helping build resilience by improving access to essential services for children and their families.
With the right support, we can stop the spread and protect children here against this preventable disease - children who are already suffering from too much.
