The first 100,000 doses of the mpox vaccine arrived in Congo’s capital on Thursday, according to the country’s authorities and reported by AP.
This delivery follows the World Health Organization’s declaration of a global emergency due to mpox outbreaks in 12 African countries.
The MVA-BN vaccines, manufactured by Danish company Bavarian Nordic, were donated by the European Union through its health emergencies agency, HERA. An additional 100,000 doses are expected to arrive on Saturday.
UNICEF will manage the vaccination campaign in the provinces most impacted by mpox, Congo’s Health Minister Roger Kamba announced. However, it is uncertain when the vaccination drive will commence.
About 380,000 doses of mpox vaccines have been pledged by Western partners, including the European Union and the United States.
This is less than 15% of the 3 million doses needed to control the outbreak in Congo, the epicenter of the global health emergency.
The outbreak has resulted in more than 22,800 cases and 622 deaths across Africa, with Congo reporting the highest number of infections. The majority of cases are among children under 15.
Last week, the U.S. donated 10,000 doses to Nigeria, marking the first donation to Africa since the current outbreaks began. Nigeria has reported 40 mpox cases this year.
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, had been spreading largely unnoticed in Africa before the global outbreak in 2022.
Unlike the earlier outbreak, which primarily affected gay and bisexual men, the current situation in Africa involves sexual transmission and close contact among vulnerable groups.
African experts warn that vaccine distribution in Congo could be delayed due to the country’s vast size and limited health infrastructure.
The Africa CDC is preparing a unified response plan to be presented at a meeting of African heads of state in September.