Children under the age of five account for nearly a third of mpox cases in Burundi, according to UNICEF’s Regional Health Advisor for Eastern and Southern Africa, Paul Ngwakum. The east African nation is now the second hardest hit on the continent, after the Democratic Republic of Congo, since the World Health Organization declared the outbreak an international emergency last month.
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00:00From what I've seen, children in Burundi are bearing the brunt of the Mpox outbreak
00:07with alarming rates of infection and health impacts.
00:12But of particular concern for us as UNICEF is the rise of Mpox among children under five years.
00:19This represents about 30% of the reported cases
00:24and this underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions.
00:28This is very concerning because of the direct consequences to these children.
00:34And in most situations, you know, these are children who have low immunity
00:40and they are suffering from other underlying problems.
00:43For example, they might be having HIV, they might have pneumonia, malaria, and diarrhea.
00:49And with Mpox, you will need critical treatment to be able to avoid them from dying.