Mpox Devastates Sex Workers in Remote Congo Town
A new variant of mpox has spread rapidly in the remote town of Kamituga, South Kivu Province, affecting many sex workers who are unable to find clients or sustain themselves due to the ongoing outbreak. Sifa Kunguja, a recovered sex worker, shares a heartbreaking story of how people in town avoid her because of her illness, rendering her unable to make a living.
Kamituga, a mineral-rich mining town, is the epicenter of the mpox outbreak, with some 40,000 sex workers estimated to reside in the area. Gold miners make up the majority of their clientele. Doctors note that 80% of cases have been contracted through sexual contact, although skin-to-skin contact has also contributed to the spread of the virus.
Many sex workers, like Irene Mabwidi, are struggling to find reliable protection against mpox due to its unique transmission pathway through sweat. "For mpox, I feel like there is no protection, because it passes through sweat," she said at a community briefing.
Unfortunately, the outbreak has put sex workers at a disproportionate risk, as they fear legal consequences and retribution for seeking medical care or reporting their illness. Despite the challenges, health officials are advocating for the government to shut down nightclubs and mines, compensate affected sex workers, and reach out to miners who frequent the area.
Kamituga Mayor Alexandre Bundya M’pila acknowledged the need for further awareness campaigns, citing insufficient funds to reach everyone in the town. "We need to raise a lot of awareness. We need the means to arrive at a point where we can eradicate this. We need vaccines," he said.
In the mines, a lack of awareness has sparked frustration among miners like Debus Bulambo, who has already contracted the disease. "People who have not yet been affected by this disease are not afraid of it," he said. "In this mining site, there is no awareness. We only hear about it on the radio, in the community, at church. But here, in the mines, there is none."
