The United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, warned Friday that children in Burundi are bearing the brunt of the mpox outbreak, with cases of this deadly, infectious disease spreading at an alarming rate among a young population.

Mpox is a viral infection that causes flu-like symptoms and blisters, and while usually mild, it can kill especially if people are battling another illness or are malnourished. In conflict-torn neighbouring Congo over 700 people have died from among 21,835 suspected cases of the disease, WHO data showed.

Youngsters have been especially impacted by mpox outbreaks raging in Africa, with children under five accounting for nearly a third of the cases in Burundi, the UN children's agency said Friday. "Children in Burundi are bearing the brunt of the mpox outbreak,

UNICEF, the lead partner in education and emergency preparedness, is collaborating with the Ministry of Education to prevent the spread of mpox in schools.

Children and vulnerable communities have been at the sharp end of an expanding outbreak of mpox across Eastern and Southern Africa. With more than 3 million children in Burundi heading back to school as of 16 September 2024, UNICEF and the government are scaling up efforts for their safe return to learning amid the mpox outbreak.

UNICEF and partners are scaling up the emergency response in the DRC, Burundi and other countries in Africa, but more donor support is needed.