The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the “epicenter” of the current Mpox outbreak in Africa, will launch its first phase of vaccination campaign on October 2, the government announced.
The vaccination effort, which will run until Oct. 11, follows the receipt of more than 265,000 doses from international partners, according to minutes of the weekly Cabinet meeting on Friday night, Xinhua news agency reported.
“The process of acquiring 3,000 doses of vaccines for children is progressing sufficiently,” the report states.
A report released Friday by the Congolese Ministry of Health revealed that the Democratic Republic of Congo has reported 21,813 suspected cases, including 716 deaths since the beginning of 2024. The country accounts for about 90 percent of cases in Africa.
This comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the approval of the MVA-BN vaccine, developed by Bavarian Nordic, as the first Mpox vaccine on its prequalification list.
Modified Vaccinia Ankara-Bavarian Nordic or MVA-BN vaccine is indicated for active immunization against smallpox, Mpox, and related orthopoxvirus infections and diseases in all adults 18 years of age and older.
The vaccine can be administered as a 2-dose injection 4 weeks apart.
“Available data show that a single-dose MVA-BN vaccine administered before exposure has an estimated effectiveness of 76 percent in protecting people against Mpox, while the 2-dose regimen achieves an estimated effectiveness of 82 percent,” WHO said in a statement.
In mid-August, the WHO declared the ongoing Mpox outbreak in Africa a public health emergency of international concern. Some 15 countries are battling the deadly infections, and Morocco has become the latest country to join the list.
The outbreak began with the emergence of the little-known but more dangerous clade 1b variant. It was first detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in September 2023. Since then, the strain has been reported in countries such as Sweden and Thailand.
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