KEY POINTS
- Mpox survivors in Burundi face severe stigma, threatening their livelihoods.
- Stigma is complicating Burundi’s efforts to control the outbreak.
- Health officials call for greater awareness to combat stigma and aid in outbreak containment.
The extreme stigma that mpox survivors in Burundi face, such as motorbike taxi driver Eric Mbonigaba, jeopardizes their home and means of subsistence, making efforts to contain the outbreak more difficult.
Burundi, the second-most mpox-affected nation in Africa, is having difficulty controlling the approximately 600 cases that have been documented since July 2024.
Survivors face social and economic isolation
After four weeks in the hospital, Mbonigaba, one of the first Burundians to be diagnosed with mpox, recovered. But his suffering didn’t stop there.
His landlord rejected him when he got home, refusing to pay his rent and threatening to evict him. It has been difficult for him to continue working as a motorbike taxi driver because of his facial scars, which serve as a permanent reminder of the illness. Customers shun him out of fear.
Mbonigaba, a father of two, told Reuters, “I don’t know where my family will go, and I could lose my home at any moment.” According to Reuters, he mentioned that another mpox survivor is dealing with comparable housing problems, underscoring the discrimination and stigma that survivors face.
Stigma impacts Mpox containment efforts
Burundi’s attempts to contain the spread are being hampered by stigma, according to health officials. UNICEF regional health adviser Paul Ngwakum stressed that eradicating stigma is essential to managing the illness.
“The outbreak will last much longer if people are scared to get treatment,” he stated.
In defiance of government laws mandating that patients obtain free care at approved hospitals, some patients are self-treating at home because they don’t want to be subject to public scrutiny.
Although mpox-related fatalities have not occurred in Burundi, the disease’s combat has been hampered by the prevalent stigma.
Call for greater awareness and action
Even though stigma is becoming a bigger problem, Burundi’s government hasn’t done enough to confront it. The Ministry of Health said it would “conduct a probe” into the issue, indicating that health officials have acknowledged the difficulties.
Although Burundi has reported no deaths, the World Health Organization believes that more than 800 persons in Africa have perished from mpox this year, the majority of whom were in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In addition to medical care, public awareness campaigns and anti-discrimination initiatives are now essential components of Burundi’s efforts to combat mpox.
Long after they recover, survivors like Mbonigaba will still experience social and financial difficulties if the stigma associated with the illness is not addressed.