876 - Preventing Mpox Transmission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Public Health On Call

The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Novelcoronavirus, Health, Publichealth, Covid, Globalhealth, Coronavirus, News, Health & Fitness, Education, Medicine, Covid19, Science

4.8 • 620 Ratings

🗓️ 31 March 2025

⏱️ 17 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

About this episode:

Amidst an ongoing outbreak of a deadly clade of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs has been part of the response team. Working with local partners, CCP has developed community outreach and strategic communications campaigns to help protect people, reduce transmission, and get the outbreak under control. When USAID funding was abruptly canceled, the program was granted a waiver to continue work. But now, as the waiver faces expiration, the program’s future is uncertain which could put the DRC, Africa, and even the world at risk of an mpox epidemic.

Guests:

Dr. Didier Mbayi Kangudie is the Chief of Party for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He spent 11 years with USAID as a senior health advisor and has more than 25 years of experience blending clinical work, public health and global health programming.

Shannon McAfee is team lead for Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs country programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Guinea, which include projects focused on integrated health, the GHSA portfolio, education, Ebola, and the COVID-19 response. She has 25 years of experience designing, leading and implementing health and development projects across 16 countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, the largest center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

CCP Resumes Mpox Oubreak Prevention Work in the Democratic Republic of Congo—Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs
African Governments Falling Short on Healthcare Funding: Slow Progress 23 Years After Landmark Abuja Declaration—Human Rights Watch
Why The Mpox Crisis Spreading Across Africa is a Global Concern—Public Health On Call (August 2024)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Public Health On Call, a podcast from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,
0:05.9	where we bring evidence, experience, and perspective to make sense of today's leading health challenges.
0:16.3	If you have questions or ideas for us, please send an email to public health question at jh.h.u.
0:23.8	That's public health question at jhhu.edu for future podcast episodes.
0:31.1	Hey listeners, it's Lindsay Smith-Roggers.
0:34.1	Today, a look at preventing a deadly strain of MPox from spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond.
0:41.6	Dr. Didier-Baye-Kangudier and Shannon McAfee, two leaders of a Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Program's-led initiative to halt the outbreak,
0:51.5	join Stephanie Desmond to discuss what the program has accomplished so far
0:55.0	and what the termination of USAID funding could mean for the people of the DRC, Africa, and the
1:02.3	world. Let's listen. Dr. Didier, Ba'i Kangudier, and Shannon McAfee, thank you both for joining me.
1:09.4	Thank you for having us. Thank you, Stephanie.
1:12.0	Today I wanted to talk about the work that you as staff of the Johns Hopkins Center for
1:18.5	communication programs are doing in the Democratic Republic of Congo, specifically work with the
1:24.9	current MPox outbreak. Congudia, I wanted to ask you if you could sort of just lay the land out for us.
1:30.5	What does it look like right now on the ground in DRC?
1:34.1	Thank you so much, Stephanie.
1:36.3	The DRC, the Democratic Republic of Congo, is the current epicenter of the global outbreak of the MBOX or Monkey Box, which was declared a public health
1:49.3	emergency of international concern in August 24.
1:53.7	Currently, the DRC has affected in all its entirety.
1:59.2	We have 27 administrative provinces.
2:02.2	All the 26 provinces have reported at least one or several cases of MPOC.
2:08.2	So those cases are spread across those provinces.
	...

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