DR Congo to Receive First Mpox Vaccines Amid Ongoing Outbreak
The Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicentre of an mpox outbreak, is set to receive its first delivery of vaccines, with 100,000 doses arriving on Thursday and a second batch on Friday. The World Health Organization declared mpox a health emergency last month, but efforts to curb the spread of the disease have been hampered by a lack of vaccines.
DR Congo is Africa’s worst affected country, with over 19,000 suspected cases and more than 650 deaths recorded since the start of the year. Sixty-two percent of infections are among children. The first shipment of vaccines, manufactured by Bavarian Nordic and donated by the European Union, will be distributed between Goma, Lubumbashi, and the Congolese capital Kinshasa.
According to Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is a distribution plan and vaccination plan in place, which includes all those who have been infected, as well as contact cases and contacts of contacts. Priority will be given to health workers and immunocompromised people, such as those suffering from malnutrition or HIV-positive.
Negotiations for the vaccines, secured through Europe’s Health Emergency Preparedness Response Authority (HERA), have been finalised, with the aim of acquiring 10 million doses quickly. The vaccines are expensive, but the technology will be transferred to Africa from 2025, allowing for a cost reduction of around 85-90 percent.
Health authorities face a significant challenge in launching the vaccination campaign across a country the size of western Europe. The doses must be kept in cold storage, and communities can be wary of participating. Cris Kacita, head of Congo’s mpox outbreak response, explained that it will take around a month from delivery to launch the campaign, as the population needs to be educated and accepted the vaccination.
While children are at high risk from mpox, Bavarian Nordic’s shot is not licensed for children. However, the World Health Organization recommends its use in outbreaks for children when the benefits outweigh the risks, and this is currently under discussion in Congo.
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, typically causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions, and can be fatal. It spreads through close contact, including sexual contact. The arrival of vaccines is a crucial step in combating the outbreak, and health authorities are working to ensure a successful vaccination campaign.
