The Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs has restarted its mpox outbreak prevention activities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, after USAID granted a waiver to do so.
CCP and its partners in DRC have returned hundreds of community health workers (CHWs) to their posts as of March 5. These CHWs constitute the backbone of the DRC’s community health care system, going door to door in selected health zones of the capital city Kinshasa working to help people take proper precautions against mpox and refer them for care should they present any signs of the disease.
The CHWs are also ensuring that people previously diagnosed with mpox are receiving proper care and that those eligible are encouraged to be vaccinated, especially children ages one to five.
The mpox prevention work was interrupted in late January, when, under the direction of the new U.S. federal administration, USAID issued stop-work orders for all its projects. This meant that, in the middle of a severe outbreak, much of the community and public messaging was stopped, creating a gap in getting critical information to people.
Also halted was the steady flow of national and regional television and radio campaigns, with an estimated reach of 7.7 million people through radio and nearly 10 million via television. These spots, which highlighted lifesaving health and community protection messages, are now back on the air in Kinshasa. In addition, interactive radio programs, where communities can call in and engage with health experts, are resuming this week.
In 2022, an mpox outbreak that began in Africa made headlines when it reached the shores of Europe and the United States. Over 18 months, the outbreak infected more than 32,000 people and killed 58 people in the United States alone.
The current outbreak in DRC, a central African nation of more than 100 million, is driven by two more virulent and deadlier strains of the clade I mpox. According to the DRC’s Ministry of Health, there have been more than 80,000 suspected mpox cases, 15,000 confirmed cases, of which about 1,500 have died since the start of the epidemic in January 2024. Additional cases have been reported in neighboring countries.
CCP’s current work is being conducted in Kinshasa Province. Previously, prevention efforts extended to the eastern provinces, but those areas are now occupied by rebel forces. Didier Kangudie Mbayi, chief of party for the CCP-led Breakthrough ACTION project, says the caseload there is undoubtedly worsening, but with limited data due to challenging conditions, the progression of the outbreak remains unclear.
“Diseases do not know borders, and in our increasingly interconnected world we must do everything we can to stop diseases like mpox wherever they start,” says Debora B. Freitas López, CCP’s Executive Director. “If we do not stop this dangerous strain of mpox from spreading in Africa, we will not only see more preventable deaths and suffering there, but we could see it return to the U.S. This is why the work we do is so important.”
Says Shannon McAfee, the team leader for CCP’s DRC work: “Though the DRC government has made the mpox vaccine more widely available, we first need to address barriers, fears, mistrust and promote vaccine acceptance. We then have to direct people to clinics and events where vaccinations are made available for themselves and their children.”
Funded by USAID, under its Breakthrough ACTION project, CCP has been working on the mpox outbreak response in DRC since the World Health Organization declared it a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in July 2022. The Breakthrough ACTION project was terminated by USAID alongside thousands of other foreign aid contracts in February, but that termination has been suspended to allow CCP to resume its critical mpox work for 30 days. CCP’s waiver to continue the work is only temporary – until the end of March.
McAfee says that every time a CHW reaches out to a family or every time a listener turns a multimedia spot into action, it is accomplishing some good.
“We have only a short window to restart this lifesaving work in vulnerable communities, but every conversation matters,” McAfee says. “Each time we interact with a mother or family—sharing that the vaccine is available and that young children are especially vulnerable—we’re equipping them to make informed, time-sensitive decisions that save lives.”
