ARUSHA, Nov. 5, (Xinhua/GNA) — The East African Community (EAC), will deploy skilled regional emergency experts over the next six months, to combat the spread of the mpox virus outbreak in the region.
The deployment will occur through three joint missions with the German Epidemic Preparedness Team, the EAC said in a statement released Friday. The statement said EAC member states, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Burundi, are particularly affected by the epidemic.
By October 2024, the DRC reported over 7,000 confirmed cases, with around 40 percent involving children under 15.
The ongoing mpox outbreak, initially found in eastern DRC, has since been reported in Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, posing an increased risk amid concurrent outbreaks.
The EAis, an intergovernmental organization composed of eight member states: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania.
GNA