HIGHLIGHTS
- As of January 05, 2025, the epidemic has spread to 46 health districts out of 49, or 93.8% of the districts. Of these, 17 are currently active, having reported at least one confirmed case in the last 21 days compared to 26 in November and 33 in October.
- A total of 1,767 cases out of 3,035 confirmed cases reported were recorded in three health districts of Bujumbura (Bujumbura North, Center and South), or 58.2%. Bujumbura North continues to be the most affected district with 1,142 cases, or 37.6% compared to 38.1% in November.
- Children under 15 years of age remain the most affected group with 37.8% compared to 39.5% in November; children under 5 years of age represent 20.6% of total confirmed cases, compared to 21.7% in November. However, young adults between 20 and 30 years of age now represent 30.7% of cases, compared to 29.7% in November.
- 6,924 people affected by Mpox, including 3,557 children (51.3%), have benefited from psychosocial support and mental health services in the treatment centers and in the community.
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL SITUATION OF MPOX IN BURUNDI
The Government of Burundi declared an outbreak of Mpox on 25 July 2024, following the confirmation of three cases by the National Reference Laboratory. On 21 August 2024, UNICEF activated the intensification of the institutional emergency level 3 in countries affected by outbreaks of Mpox caused by the virus. The level 3 emergency was extended until 19 February 2025.
As of January 6, 2025, there were 3,035 confirmed cases of Mpox (48.1% women and girls), with one (01) death reported and more than 6,086 suspected cases in 46 of the 49 districts. In the last 21 days, the number of cases reported in health districts has decreased from 26 to 17 compared to the previous Sitrep in November 2024. It is worth noting that the number of health districts reporting confirmed cases has continued to decrease since October, when the number was at 33. The initial identified hotspots of the Mpox epidemic of Bujumbura Nord, Centre and Sud Gitega, Isare, and Kayanza remain the same. The weekly trend shows a decrease for the last 3 weeks in the number of cases (see the graph in the PDF).
Children under 15 years of age remain the most affected group, 37.8%, compared to 39.5% in November, with children under 5 years of age representing 20.6% of total confirmed cases, compared to 21.7% in November. However, there has been an increase in the number of cases among young adults between 20 and 30 years of age, who now represent 30.8% of cases, compared to 29.7% in November. The most affected districts are Bujumbura Nord (37.6%), Gitega (12.6%), Bujumbura Centre (12.5%), Bujumbura Sud (8.4%), Isare (7.4%), Cibitoke (2.6%) and Kayanza (2.08%). A total of 7,291 alerts have been reported since the start of the epidemic. Of these, 6,641 (91.1%) have been investigated, 05 are awaiting further investigation, 650 have been abandoned and 528 have not been validated.