{"id":123086,"date":"2024-11-07T12:38:34","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T05:38:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=123086"},"modified":"2024-11-07T12:38:34","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T05:38:34","slug":"mpox-cases-in-drc-might-be-decreasing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=123086","title":{"rendered":"Mpox Cases in DRC Might Be Decreasing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Some health officials say mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo appear to be \u201c<strong>stabilizing<\/strong>.\u201d The observation is a possible sign that the <strong>epidemic<\/strong> might be declining.<\/p>\n<p>Mpox is also known as monkeypox. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention <a class=\"wsw__a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/poxvirus\/mpox\/index.html\">says<\/a> the viral disease was first identified by scientists in 1958 when outbreaks of a \u201cpox-like\u201d disease appeared in monkeys. Until recently, most human cases involved people in central and West Africa who had contact with infected animals.<\/p>\n<p>Last August, the World Health Organization (WHO) <a class=\"wsw__a\" href=\"https:\/\/learningenglish.voanews.com\/a\/who-calls-for-donations-after-declaring-mpox-a-health-emergency-\/7744040.html\">declared mpox<\/a> in Africa a &#8220;public health emergency of international concern.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In recent weeks, the WHO says the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, has reported about 200 to 300 confirmed mpox cases every week. That number is down from nearly 400 cases a week in July. A decrease has also been reported in Kamituga, where the new, more infectious <strong>variant<\/strong> of mpox first appeared.<\/p>\n<p>But the U.N. health agency said last week that only about half of suspected infections in the DRC were being tested. And the agency noted that the virus is continuing to spread in some parts of the country and elsewhere, including Uganda.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wsw__embed\">\n<figure class=\"media-image js-media-expand\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n<div class=\"thumb\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"FILE - A man suffering from mpox waits for treatment at the Kamituga General Hospital in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo\/Moses Sawasawa, file )\" src=\"https:\/\/gdb.voanews.com\/857f0305-db4d-46a2-acf5-57c8321a4379_w250_r0_s.jpg\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"ico ico-fullscreen ico--media-expand ico--rounded\"\/>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<span class=\"caption\">FILE &#8211; A man suffering from mpox waits for treatment at the Kamituga General Hospital in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sept. 4, 2024. (AP Photo\/Moses Sawasawa, file )<\/span><br \/>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>While doctors are hopeful about the drop in infections in some parts of the DRC, they still do not know what kinds of physical contact are driving the outbreak. Health experts are also concerned about the low number of vaccines the Central African nation has received. The WHO estimates that only 50,000 people have been vaccinated in the DRC, which has a population of about 110 million.<\/p>\n<p>Scientists also say there needs to be an urgent effort to vaccinate all of Africa to halt mpox\u2019s spread and avoid worse variants.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we miss this opportunity, the likelihood of another significant outbreak increases <strong>substantially<\/strong>,\u201d said Dr. Zakary Rhissa, who heads operations in the DRC for the nonprofit group ALIMA.<\/p>\n<p>This year, there have been 43,000 suspected cases in Africa and more than 1,000 people have died, mostly in the DRC.<\/p>\n<p>Rhissa added, \u201cWe\u2019ve seen how past outbreaks, such as the one in Nigeria in 2017, can lead to larger global events if not effectively contained.\u201d The 2017 mpox epidemic affected more than 100 countries.<\/p>\n<p>Rhissa said the decline in cases in Kamituga \u2014 where mpox initially spread among sex workers and miners \u2014 is an opening to put more programs in place for vaccination, <strong>surveillance<\/strong> and education.<\/p>\n<p>Georgette Hamuli is an 18-year-old sex worker. Hamuli said she did not know about mpox until vaccination teams arrived in Goma recently. \u201cThe vaccine is also necessary,\u201d she said. \u201cI think we\u2019re now protected.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wsw__embed\">\n<figure class=\"media-image js-media-expand\">\n<div class=\"img-wrap\">\n<div class=\"thumb\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"FILE - A health worker attends to a mpox patient, at a treatment center in Munigi, eastern Congo, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo\/Moses Sawasawa, file )\" src=\"https:\/\/gdb.voanews.com\/47cbc2b3-90d6-4062-bb89-65ac2cc902d1_w250_r0_s.jpg\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"ico ico-fullscreen ico--media-expand ico--rounded\"\/>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<span class=\"caption\">FILE &#8211; A health worker attends to a mpox patient, at a treatment center in Munigi, eastern Congo, Aug. 19, 2024. (AP Photo\/Moses Sawasawa, file )<\/span><br \/>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated the DRC needs at least 3 million mpox vaccines to stop the virus, and another 7 million for the rest of Africa. So far, the WHO and partners have provided 900,000 vaccines to nine African countries affected by mpox and expect 6 million vaccines to be available by the end of this year.<\/p>\n<p>Mpox epidemics in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda are believed to have started in the DRC. Several mpox cases affecting travelers have also been identified in Sweden, Thailand, Germany, India and Britain.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Salim Abdool Karim is an infectious diseases expert at South Africa\u2019s University of KwaZulu-Natal. He said mpox outbreaks usually rise and then disappear quickly because of how the virus spreads. This time, however, he said the virus continues to spread through sex and infected animals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re in new territory with mpox this time,\u201d he added. \u201cWe\u2019re never going to solve this until we vaccinate most of our people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m Mario Ritter, Jr.<\/p>\n<p><em>Maria Cheng and Ruth Alonga reported this story for the Associated Press. Hai Do adapted it for VOA Learning English. <\/em><\/p>\n<p>________________________________________________<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wsw__h2\">Words in This Story<\/h2>\n<p><strong>stabilize<\/strong>\u2013v. to not get worse; to even out or establish a normal level<\/p>\n<p><strong>epidemic<\/strong> <em>\u2013n. <\/em>when an infectious disease spreads quickly over a large area<\/p>\n<p><strong>variant<\/strong> <em>\u2013n.<\/em> a version of an infectious agent that is a little but different from the earlier one<\/p>\n<p><strong>substantially <\/strong>\u2013adv. to a large degree<\/p>\n<p><strong>surveillance <\/strong>\u2013n. closely observing something over a period to see if something bad is happening or going to happen<\/p>\n<p><em>We want to hear from you. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Our comment policy is <\/em><a class=\"wsw__a\" href=\"https:\/\/learningenglish.voanews.com\/p\/5378.html\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"https:\/\/learningenglish.voanews.com\/p\/5378.html\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>here<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\r\n     data-ad-layout-key=\"-fb+5w+4e-db+86\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"7910942971\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1660802\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/learningenglish.voanews.com\/a\/mpox-cases-in-drc-might-be-decreasing\/7852690.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Some health officials say mpox cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo appear to be \u201cstabilizing.\u201d The observation is a possible sign that the epidemic might be declining. Mpox &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/?p=123086\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=123086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123086\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=123086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=123086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hotvideos24.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=123086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}