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.

The United Nations Children’s Fund, or UNICEF, warned Friday that children in Burundi are bearing the brunt of the mpox outbreak, with cases of this deadly, infectious disease spreading at an alarming rate among a young population.

Youngsters have been especially impacted by mpox outbreaks raging in Africa, with children under five accounting for nearly a third of the cases in Burundi, the UN children's agency said Friday.

UNICEF, the lead partner in education and emergency preparedness, is collaborating with the Ministry of Education to prevent the spread of mpox in schools.

UNICEF and partners are scaling up the emergency response in the DRC, Burundi and other countries in Africa, but more donor support is needed.