New Delhi, India: The first batch of 100,000 doses of the Mpox The vaccine arrived in the Congolese capital Kinshasa on Thursday, marking a crucial step in the fight against the ongoing outbreak. The delivery comes three weeks after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Mpox outbreaks in 12 African countries a global emergency.
The vaccines, manufactured by Danish company Bavarian Nordic, were donated by the European Union through HERA, the EU agency for health emergencies. Another 100,000 doses are expected to arrive on Saturday, according to Congolese authorities.
UNICEF will lead the vaccination campaign in the most affected provinces, Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba announced. However, the start date of the vaccination campaign has not yet been confirmed.
Last week, Dr. Jean Kaseya, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reported that Western partners, including the European Union and the United States, have pledged to provide approximately 380,000 doses. This figure is significantly lower than the 3 million doses estimated to be needed to control outbreaks in Congo, which is currently at the epicenter of this global health crisis.
MpoxMonkeypox, or apepox, had been a largely unnoticed problem in Africa before an outbreak in 2022 spread to more than 70 countries. Dr. Dimie Ogoina, chair of the WHO emergency committee on monkeypox, highlighted the disease’s long-standing presence in Africa before its most recent global spread.
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