The Republic of the Congo is one of 15 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) African Region where the mpox outbreak remains active. The country has made risk communication and community engagement central to its response strategy. As of April 9, Congo had recorded 50 confirmed cases since the start of the outbreak, with only five active cases remaining and no deaths reported.
When the Ministry of Health and Population declared the mpox outbreak in April 2024, the situation was evolving and quite concerning. Organizing a response to quickly contain the virus and protect the population was the main priority. WHO immediately supported the country by deploying experts trained under the SURGE initiative – an effort aimed at strengthening and deploying rapid response teams during emergencies – to the affected departments. These experts helped boost the capacity of health care providers to investigate confirmed cases, collect samples, and ensure their safe transport. The SURGE team also supported the risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) component.
In addition to risk communication and community engagement, the Organization – with the support of partners including Germany – helped strengthen health care professionals’ capacity to manage mpox patients, enhance epidemiological surveillance, improve diagnostic systems, and provide guidance on home-care management.
Thanks to RCCE efforts, awareness is now widespread, and information about mpox is being consistently shared. The population most directly affected when it comes to their health and well-being has made community engagement one of WHO’s key recommendations for effectively combating epidemics, and promoting essential public health measures.
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