Mary Malisi, a businesswoman and hotel owner, regularly crosses the border between Kenya and Uganda to purchase grain at local markets. Her hotel in Malaba, a town sharing its name with the busy border crossing, benefits from the lower prices in the neighboring country. Malaba serves as a trade hub where over 2,000 trucks pass through daily, making it the busiest transit route in East Africa.
On August 14, a new variant of the mpox virus, known as Clade 1b, was declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization (WHO). This announcement has raised concerns among travelers, including Malisi, who is worried about the risk of infection, especially after the registration of the first case at the border. A truck driver who traveled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) through Uganda to Kenya became ill upon returning but has since recovered.
Health authorities in both Kenya and Uganda have increased monitoring at the borders, which Malisi has noticed. “We are directed to handwashing stations upon arrival, and when I return to Kenya, I have to be tested. Some individuals are taken for further examinations if they show symptoms,” she told Al Jazeera.
Mpox, which has historically been endemic in the DRC, has infected over 19,000 people thus far, primarily in the DRC, but also in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya. More than 500 people have died from the disease in the DRC since last year. The new Clade 1b variant is believed to spread more quickly and be more dangerous than previous variants.
Dr. Pierre Olivier, who works for a medical aid organization in Goma, emphasizes that the outlook in the DRC is bleak, where a host of security challenges complicate the response to mpox. “We are fighting against both the disease and the stigma that comes with it,” he states. Many individuals are hesitant to seek treatment, complicating the outbreak management further.
Meanwhile, several African countries have reported cases of mpox, with Burundi having the second-highest number of infections. Health systems in these countries are struggling to handle the outbreak in terms of both treatment and disease tracking.
As the WHO prepares the first vaccines, there are warnings that the situation could rapidly escalate into a crisis for the entire continent. “The current outbreak is not receiving the attention it deserves,” says Dr. Samoel Ashimosi Khamadi of the Kenya Medical Research Institute.
Despite concerns about mpox, life in Malaba appears to continue as normal, and Malisi continues her trips to Uganda. “The prices are cheaper there, so it’s worth it,” she says, while keeping an eye on the latest discussions regarding the disease and how to protect herself and her family.