At least 610 people were killed due to the mpox outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the country's Health Minister Roger Kamba said.
"Without urgent support, the mpox outbreak could become devastating for refugees and internally displaced people," he urged.
The Minister advised people to take precautions, especially with the school year starting in early September, and to get vaccinated as soon as they are available.
The bulk of the nation's 7.3 million internally displaced people live in conflict-affected provinces of the country where suspected cases are being reported. This poses a risk of "worsening an already untenable situation for a population devastated by decades of conflict," according to a statement issued by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees on Tuesday.
In early August, the Africa CDC declared the outbreak of mpox a public health emergency and called for international aid to procure two million vaccine doses. Kaseya reportedly stated that the DR Congo is the African country with the fastest spread of the mpox virus.