HARARE, February 2. /TASS/. The city of Goma - the administrative center of the North Kivu province in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is gripped by a serious health and sanitation crisis, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said.
"Goma is facing serious public health challenges due to ongoing conflict," the organization said on the X social network. "A coordinated effort is essential to strengthen resilience and protect the community."
The center called upon African leaders to take measures for preventing a large-scale health emergency. This particularly applies to the mpox virus, as Goma earlier became an epicenter of the infection that spread to 21 African countries.
On January 26, rebels from the March 23 Movement, assisted by Rwanda, captured Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province in eastern DRC, and are now attacking Bukavu, the capital of the neighboring South Kivu province.