In the country, no deaths related to an infectious subvariant of the mpox virus have been reported, despite 1,100 Africans having died this year from diseases caused by various variants of the virus. According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, research conducted by academics from Canada, Belgium, Burundi, Congo, and the United States revealed this finding.
A study showed that girls and young women may be more susceptible to this infectious subvariant that has spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to neighboring countries. Of the 154 positive test cases of the virus in Burundi, with an average age of 9.5 years, infected girls had an average age of 6 years, while the average age for boys was 17.5 years.
The clade Ib subvariant has rapidly spread and caused the death of hundreds of children in eastern Congo. Some symptoms detected in patients included fever, swollen lymph nodes, muscle aches, vision loss, and skin rashes. Before this outbreak, Burundi had not reported any cases of mpox.
An independent analysis of 254 patients in a hospital in Bujumbura revealed differences between men and women. Hospitalized women had an average age of 16 years, while men had an average age of 32 years. The spread of the new subvariant of mpox is attributed to close physical contact and sexual activity.
In comparison with other variants of the virus in Africa, this new subvariant is primarily transmitted through sexual relations, while other strains are spread through contact with animals. Researchers noted significant differences between genders regarding age, test positivity, and the need for hospitalization in these specific cases.
