Ankara: More residents continued to flee mpox treatment centers in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo due to the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said Thursday.

According to Anadolu Agency, diminishing testing capacity to track new cases has been cited because of the challenges in sample transportation that have been exacerbated by a freeze on US aid. This information was provided by Ngashi Ngongo, head of the incident management support team based in Congo.

Ngongo stated in a virtual news conference that 605 mpox patients had fled treatment centers, an increase from the 500 reported last week. This situation raises concerns about the further spread of the disease within Congo and neighboring countries such as Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda.

"We have continued with negotiations for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor so that we can at least get some humanitarian aid into North and South Kivu, especially that most organizations have withdrawn their staff due to the humanitarian situation," said Ngongo.

Despite the challenges, Ngongo expressed gratitude that the Health Ministry developed an emergency response plan, which integrates mpox outbreak interventions to decentralize laboratory capacity and rebuild resilience in tackling the outbreak.

The M23 rebels have made significant advances in the eastern part of the country in recent months since the group resumed its insurgency in late 2021.