The head of the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the status of the city of Guma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo represents a “widespread public health emergency”, warning that the fighting there may lead to the impulsion of epidemics.
The armed “March 23” group known as “M23” is advanced through the east of this troubled republic, which witnessed the spread of many infectious diseases.
Earlier this week, M23 took control of most of Guma, the capital of North Kivu, a high population density city with a population of 3 million, including one million displaced people.
“These are the extreme conditions, in addition to the insecurity and collective displacement, which fueled the mutation of the chickenpox virus.”
The P1 from the virus – which has been monitored in many countries in recent months – has appeared for the first time in the neighboring South Kivu province in 2023.
“Guma has become a hotbed of monkey chickenpox in 21 African countries,” Cassia said in a letter sent Friday to African leaders.
“It is not only a security issue, but also a large -scale public health emergency,” he added.
“This war must end. If a decisive action is not taken, the bullets will not be the only one that reaps the lives, but rather the unlimited spread of the spread of possible diseases and epidemics (…) will destroy economies and societies across our continent.”
The circumstances also led to “the spread of measles, cholera and other diseases on a large scale, killing thousands of others.”