KAMITSUGA, Congo (AP) — Four months have passed since Shifa Kunguja recovered. from mpoxBut as a sex worker, she said she still struggles to win back clients, with fear and stigma keeping people away after hearing they’ve been infected with the virus.
“This is a dangerous job,” Kunguja, 40, said from his small home in eastern Congo. “But if I don’t work, I won’t be able to give money to my children.”
Sex workers are among the hardest hit people mpox occurs in KamitsugaIt is estimated that about 40,000 of them live here, many single mothers driven by poverty to this mineral-rich commercial hub, where gold miners make up the majority of customers. Doctors estimate that 80% of cases here are sexually transmitted, but the virus can also be transmitted from other infected people. Types of skin-to-skin contact.
Sifa Kunguja, a 40-year-old sex worker, sorts through condoms at home after recovering from mpox, Wednesday, September 4, 2024, in Kamituga, eastern Congo. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Sex workers claim the situation threatens their health and livelihoods. Health officials warn more needs to be done stop the spread — with a focus on sex workers — or mpox will penetrate deeper into eastern Congo and its regions.
Mpox most often causes mild symptoms, such as fever and body aches, but in severe cases, it can cause noticeable painful blisters on the face, hands, chest, and genitals.
Kunguja and other sex workers say they have no choice but to continue working despite the risk of reinfecting and spreading the virus. Sex work is not illegal in Congo, but related activities such as solicitation are. Human rights groups say potential legal repercussions and fear of reprisal (sex workers are exposed to high rates of violence, including rape and abuse) prevent women from seeking medical care. Experts say this could be especially harmful during a public health emergency.
Health officials in Kamituga province are calling on the government to close nightclubs and mines and compensate prostitutes for out of work.
Not everyone agrees. Local officials say they don’t have the resources They argue that it is sex workers’ responsibility to do more than take care of sick people and protect themselves.
Kamituga Mayor Alexandre Bundia Mpila told The Associated Press that the government is conducting awareness campaigns, but lacks the funds to reach everyone. He also said sex workers should look for other jobs, but gave no examples of jobs that might be available.
Sex work is a big part of the economy
Tens of thousands of miners flock to Kamitsuga. The economy is built around mining. Buyers line the streets, traders travel to sell gold, small businesses and individuals provide food and accommodation, and the sex industry thrives.
More than a dozen sex workers told The Associated Press. They said more than half of their customers are miners.
The African Sex Workers Alliance, a Kenya-based group of sex worker-led groups, says the industry is well organized. The federation estimates that 13% of Kamitsuga’s 300,000 residents are sex workers.
The coalition says there are 18 sex worker committees in town, whose leadership works with government officials to protect and support their colleagues and seek to advocate for their rights.
But sex work in Congo is dangerous. One report says women face systematic violence tolerated by society. Report by Umandea local sex workers’ rights organization.
Many women are forced into the industry because of poverty or, like Kunguja, because they are single parents who have to support their families.
Mpox infection could put sex workers out of business
Sex workers who spoke to The Associated Press said mpox is an added burden. Many people are afraid of contracting the virus. If you contract the virus, you will be out of work, lose income, and in some cases, lose your business entirely.
People who recover are stigmatized, they say. Kamitsuga is a small place and most people know each other. When someone falls ill, neighbors inform customers in a whisper. People talk and point.
A sex worker with mpox lies in a general hospital in Kamituga, eastern Congo, on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)
Since signing up with mpx in May, Kunguja said his daily clientele has grown from about 20 to five. When she became ill, the lesions on her genitals were so painful that she could barely walk, hunched over, and hobbled around. She said her 9-year-old son contracted the virus from her. He was discharged from the hospital, but the lesions still remain.
She said she has supported her 11 children through sex work for nearly 10 years, but now she cannot afford to send them to school. To make up for it, she sells alcohol on a daily basis, but it’s not enough.
She said she wants the government to subsidize her income so she doesn’t have to put herself or others at risk.
Experts say information and awareness are key
Disease experts say the lack of vaccines and information Difficult to stop the spread.
some 250,000 vaccines arrive in Congobut it is unclear when it will arrive in Kamitsuga. Sex workers and miners will be among the first to be admitted.
Community leaders and aid groups are trying to teach sex workers to protect themselves and their clients through awareness sessions that discuss the signs and symptoms. They also strongly urge condom use, which they say is not widely available in the industry.
Sex workers told the AP that while they insist on using condoms whenever they are available, there simply aren’t enough.
Kamitsuga General Hospital delivers boxes containing about 140 condoms to them every few months. Some sex workers serve up to 60 clients a day for less than $1 each. Condoms are running out and workers say they can’t afford to buy any more.
Dr. Guy Mukali, an epidemiologist working with Congo’s National Institute of Biomedical Research, said: Mutant species spreading in Kamitsuga It appears that the virus is easily transmitted through sexual activity, making it a double burden for those in the sex industry.
Even health experts admit it’s unclear how effective condoms are because of a lack of information about the virus. Researchers note that the lesions are usually found around the base of the penis, an area not covered by condoms.
Sex worker Irene Mabwidi said some women resort to flimsy plastic bags when they can’t find condoms. As the leader of a local sex industry group, she said she tries to advise women on other protection measures, such as checking clients’ bodies for lesions, but it’s far from certain.
Erin Kilbride of Human Rights Watch said it’s important that sex workers are in the room when governments develop support programs.
“Governments should actively engage sex worker organizations at local and national level, as they are experts on what communities need,” Mr Kilbride said.
Mines also lack safety measures
Health experts say miners are also key to containing the virus. According to the World Health Organization, mpox is primarily spread through close contact, but it can also spread from the environment through objects and surfaces touched by an infected person.
There is little awareness of this in the mines. The environment in mines is often unsanitary. There are few hand-washing stations in the mines, and miners sometimes go days without showering. Health officials say infected miners can urinate or defecate openly inside mines, potentially contaminating water sources.
Miners told The Associated Press that more information and advocacy is needed at the mine. Devas Brumbo, who said he contracted mpox in February, believes most miners are not taking the virus seriously. Even in the midst of an epidemic, people are willing to spend cash on sex, sometimes paying five times as much to go without a condom, he noted. And miners earn a lot, up to about $120 a month, more than twice the country’s average annual income.
Blumbo said she understands she is an exception, but said she has sometimes paid for sex in the past, but has stopped doing so.
“People are not afraid,” he said matter-of-factly. “I don’t understand.”
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Education Media Group. AP is solely responsible for all content.
