It is possible to end the mpox outbreak in Burundi within weeks, a U.N. health official said on Friday, but progress in Africa's second-worst affected country will depend on getting adequate resources and battling stigma associated with the disease.

It is possible to end the mpox outbreak in Burundi within weeks, a UN health official says, depending on getting adequate resources and battling stigma associated with the disease.

Burundi’s prime minister this week started a national campaign to stop the spread of mpox after a contagious subvariant of the virus spilled across its porous border with the Democratic Republic of Congo where hundreds of people including children have died.

A U.N. health official believes that Burundi could end its mpox outbreak within weeks, provided enough resources are secured and stigma is combated. Nearly 600 cases have been reported in Burundi, and the disease primarily affects children.

The UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, issued an urgent appeal on Friday for nearly $59 million to support efforts to halt the rapid spread of mpox in six African countries including Burundi, where youngsters have been impacted the most.