He is forty years old. A man named Egide Irambona has his chest bare on his bed in a treatment room he shares with two other patients. The evening sun shines through the window of King Khaled University Hospital in Bujumbura. Burundi, filling the room with soft light that casts shadows over his face, covered in blisters. His chest and arms are also covered.
“My throat had swollen lymph nodes. It hurt so much I couldn’t sleep. Then the pain subsided there and moved to my legs,” Mr Irambona tells the BBC. In Burundi alone, there have been more than 170 confirmed pox cases since last month.
Widespread Outbreak Burundi
Burundi, one of the poorest countries in the world, shares a border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, where several recent outbreaks of pox have occurred. This year alone, the region has recorded at least 450 deaths and 14,000 suspected cases. No deaths have been registered in Burundi so far, but this outbreak caused by a new strain known as Clade 1b has been declared a global health emergency. The lack of testing capacity in affected areas makes it difficult to ascertain how severe this current episode is.
A Family Affected
Mr Irambona is on his ninth day of treatment; he passed it on to his wife, who is also being treated at the same hospital since the virus spreads through close contact with an infected person. “I had a friend with blisters; I think I got it from him. I did not know it was pox, though luckily, our seven children haven’t shown any signs yet,” he says before trailing off.
Rising Numbers & Limited Capacity
The hospital where Mr Irambona receives care is among three mpox treatment centres within Bujumbura city; currently, all but two beds are occupied (59/61), while one-third of the patients are under fifteen years old, says WHO. According to the World Health Organization, children are the worst-affected age group during this outbreak.
“The number of patients is increasing,” says Doctor Odette Nsavyimana. Who heads this facility; “We are now setting up tents outside.” These serve as triage areas where suspected cases can be held together with confirmed ones before they are transferred onto wards.
Challenges in Treatment & Isolation
“It’s tough especially when babies come. They cannot stay alone so I have to keep their mothers here too even if they have no symptoms. It’s such a tough situation,” says Dr Nsavyimana through her protective face mask.
Concerns Over Growing Outbreak Burundi
Burundi is currently experiencing an upsurge in pox cases. And Dr Nsavyimana fears that the hospital may not cope with the increase; “I am worried about numbers. If they continue increasing, there will be no capacity for us.”
