DR Congo has received its first shipment of mpox vaccines as the country battles a surge in cases of the viral disease and causing thousands of infections and hundreds of deaths.
The African Union’s health body, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), confirmed the delivery of the vaccines on Thursday, September 5, with 200,000 doses expected to arrive this week.
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"We are pleased with the arrival of this first batch of vaccines in the DR Congo,” said Jean Kaseya, the Director General of Africa CDC.
The initial delivery includes more than 99,000 doses, with the remainder scheduled to arrive by the end of the week.
Kaseya highlighted that these vaccines, manufactured by Danish drugmaker Bavarian Nordic, represent the first batch to reach the country, which has been at the epicenter of the mpox outbreak in Africa.
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The vaccines were flown from Copenhagen, Denmark, on Wednesday, September 4, heading to Kinshasa. Health authorities in DR Congo plan to start rolling out the vaccinations as early as this weekend, with the first people to receive the vaccine being close contacts of known mpox cases. However, the vaccination campaign is expected to face significant logistical challenges due to the strict requirement to store doses at -90 degrees Celsius (-130 degrees Fahrenheit).
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UNICEF has raised concerns that thousands of children in DR Congo and neighboring countries are particularly vulnerable to the virus, with the outbreak also affecting other parts of Africa. The disease has been reported in at least 13 African countries, including Burundi, Congo-Brazzaville, and the Central African Republic. Most recently, Guinea confirmed its first case of mpox on Wednesday, prompting an emergency response from health officials.
Outside Africa, the mpox virus has been detected in countries such as Sweden, Pakistan, and the Philippines. As the outbreak continues to spread, various nations have pledged vaccine support to affected African regions. Spain has committed to sending 500,000 doses, while France and Germany have each promised 100,000 doses.
The WHO declared an international emergency over mpox on August 14, citing concerns about the rising number of cases linked to a new strain of the virus, Clade 1b, which has been detected in DR Congo and neighboring countries. DR Congo is currently facing both Clade 1b and Clade 1a strains of the virus, making the situation more complex.
Nigeria received 10,000 doses of mpox vaccine in late August, making it the first African country to receive vaccines amid the current outbreak.
The WHO Director General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that the vaccine doses that are yet to be delivered to DR Congo are part of a donation from the European Union.
Cris Kacita, head of DR Congo’s mpox outbreak response, announced that the country aims to begin the first wave of vaccinations on October 8, if the vaccine shipments are completed this week as expected.
Congolese Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba urged citizens to remain vigilant, noting that they are in a health war against mpox, and to face this disease, joint efforts are required.
Health authorities remain focused on deploying the vaccines and controlling the spread of the virus as it continues to affect thousands of people across the country and beyond.
Mpox has caused over 17,500 cases and 629 deaths in DR Congo since the beginning of 2024, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
The disease, which is transmitted from infected animals to humans and through close physical contact between people, manifests in symptoms such as fever, muscle aches, and painful skin lesions filled with pus.
Mpox was first discovered in 1958 in Denmark among research monkeys, with the first human case identified in DR Congo in 1970. Since then, the disease has surfaced, particularly in Central and West Africa.