According to the provincial Minister of Health of the city of Mbandaka, capital of the province of Équateur, vaccination against the Mpox epidemic has been stagnating for some time. According to Doctor Didier Ibenge, only the populations of two health zones out of the 18 in the province have been vaccinated, namely the zones of Bikoro and Lotumbe.
The health official of this province affirms that all the health zones of the city are affected by this Mpox epidemic and is indignant to note that a large part of the population is not yet vaccinated. He calls on sector authorities to increase vaccination coverage and install local Mpox centers.
“We are surrounded by forests and what happens there is not controlled. Epidemics are circulating and, given that we visit the forest at all times and consume game, this exposes us to several epidemics. Currently, at Ecuador, we are the epicenter of Mpox I think Ecuador has maybe half of the cases of Mpox in the DRC Almost all health zones in Ecuador are affected. WorldHealth which addresses human health, animal health and the environment But when we carry out actions, it is only for human health and the environment, we do not take it into account. visit the forest constantly and awareness is becoming a serious problem We also have a problem with medicines We are now under universal health coverage, which means that health facilities must be close to the population. You will see that a patient suffering from Mpox must travel 10 to 15 km to reach the nearest health center. The question arises: how many contacts and infected people are on the way? We can’t even list them. And, surprisingly, once you arrive at the health center, there are no medications. Mpox health centers do not have enough medicines. We received a donation from the head of state, but it does not meet the needs,” said Didier Mbula Ibenge, Ecuador’s provincial health minister.
And to add:
“We have 18 health zones concerned, but only two, Bikoro and Lotumbe, are vaccinated, and we will return there in four weeks for the second phase. But now, there is the movement of the population. We are going into the forest, We consume game at all times. We must also understand that it has become a sexually transmitted disease, which is very worrying. We are calling on national authorities and partners to mobilize resources and get involved in order to put an end to it. this disease in the province of Équateur,” he concluded.
To help the population protect themselves against Mpox, the provincial Minister of Health of Mbandaka says he is carrying out awareness-raising actions to promote the adoption of the vaccine and barrier gestures.
At the Makila Bolonjua port, where all the shuttles from the city of Mbandaka are made, the administrator of this trading place says she applies strict and preventive measures in the sale of game from the forest and other edible products considered dangerous. .
“In this large port, I receive people of all categories. Last week, health workers came to raise awareness and check the meat. Those that are infected are seized, and those in good condition are kept. We are also raising awareness among traders to be careful about what they buy and sell, giving them some notions of hygiene. But the inhabitants of Mbandaka are often recalcitrant when we seize goods that are not in good condition, especially meats from the region. forest, they consider this a hassle. On our part, we will continue to raise awareness and ban the sale of expired food. We simply ask the authorities to provide us with equipment such as hand washes and hydroalcoholic gels to mitigate the problem. spread of the disease”, indicated Bébé Bolinga Amba, administrator of the Makila market.
For his part, a fisherman from the port of Makila deplores the inaction of the provincial authorities and emphasizes that they are exposed daily to several diseases due to the lack of vaccination and appropriate care tools.
“We work here every day aboard fishing vessels, and we sometimes see passengers with strange symptoms, even deaths from drowning. All of this exposes us to many diseases. Mpox vaccinators have not arrived here yet We ask provincial and national authorities to intensify vaccination coverage, otherwise we will continue to record more cases of Mpox,” said José Ewele Bosongo.
According to figures from the Expanded Vaccination Program (EPI) of the Mbandaka branch, since the start of the Mpox epidemic, the province has recorded 7,006 cases and 370 deaths.
Grace Guka, from Mbandaka
