Hello and welcome to News Hour. It's coming to live from the BBC World Service

studios in London. I'm Tim Franks and we're starting the program in the country

hardest hit by the recent outbreak of

impacts, the disease described by the World Health Organization as a public health emergency of

international concern. It's the Democratic Republic of Congo and doctors in the DRC have told the BBC they

are overwhelmed and that 70% of the patients they're seeing are children under the age of 10. In a moment we'll be asking why the attempt to source vaccines

has been so painfully slow.

First though, the BBC has been given exclusive access

to two treatment centres in the Eastern DRC.

Africa Correspondence Simi Jolioso has this report.

Children at this hospital in Kavumu in South Kivu appear weary and in pain.

This includes two-year-old and Sima who caught

empox from one of her five siblings who have all had the disease.

Her mother, in Zigeria Kanigo, had no idea what it was.

This is the first time of Sinids.

When my child got sick, other parents told me it might be measles.

But we started treating measles and fell. Other parents told me it might be measles.

But we started treating measles and failed.

So we decided to come here.

Three are cured and they are at home.

I only have two who I am admitted with now in this hospital. I thank God.

Doctors at this hospital say there's been high demand for beds and medicines, but not enough supply.

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