MPOX TRACKER

In a heart-wrenching scene in eastern Congo, 21-year-old Divine Wisoba tends to the grave of her 1-month-old daughter, Maombi Katengey, who succumbed to mpox in August. Overwhelmed by grief, Wisoba had been unable to attend the funeral and only now visits the burial site. Her tears and worries for her remaining family members paint a stark picture of the human toll of the latest mpox outbreak.

"When she was born, it was as if God had answered our prayers — we wanted a girl," Wisoba recounts, her voice heavy with sorrow. "But our biggest joy was transformed into devastation." This personal tragedy is just one among thousands in South Kivu province, the epicenter of what has become a global health emergency.

Official figures suggest that over 6,000 people in South Kivu have likely contracted mpox, prompting the World Health Organization to elevate the outbreak to the status of a global health emergency. The situation is particularly alarming due to the emergence of a new strain of the virus, which is spreading primarily through skin-to-skin contact, including but not limited to sexual transmission.

The efforts to contain this outbreak face significant obstacles. A critical shortage of funds, vaccines, and public information is hampering the ability of health officials and disease experts to effectively combat the spread of the virus. These challenges are compounding the already dire situation, potentially allowing the outbreak to expand further unchecked.

Wisoba's story serves as a poignant reminder of the real-world impact of this growing epidemic. Behind the statistics and global health declarations are countless personal tragedies – families torn apart, communities living in fear, and dreams shattered. As the international community grapples with how to respond to this crisis, the urgency of the situation is underscored by the grief of mothers like Wisoba, mourning children lost to a disease that many believed was under control.