Authorities in Congo have announced the arrival of 50,000 doses of mpox vaccine from the United States, following a previous delivery from the European Union. The vaccines are intended to combat the ongoing outbreak of monkeypox in the country.
The affected provinces of Equateur, South Kivu, and Sankuru will be the first to receive vaccinations, with the campaign set to commence on October 2nd. The vaccines, known as JYNNEOS, are manufactured by Danish company Bavarian Nordic and have been donated by the EU through its health emergency agency, HERA.
These recent deliveries bring the total number of vaccine doses in Congo to 250,000, a fraction of the 3 million doses deemed necessary to control the outbreak. Additional pledges from EU countries are expected, although the timeline for their delivery remains uncertain.
Since the beginning of 2024, there have been 5,549 confirmed cases of monkeypox across Africa, resulting in 643 deaths. Congo alone accounts for 91% of these cases, with a significant portion affecting children under the age of 15.
In response to the escalating crisis, the Africa Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in collaboration with the World Health Organization, has launched a continent-wide plan to address the outbreak. Emergency approval for the JYNNEOS vaccine has been granted in Congo, with plans to prioritize vaccination for adults in high-risk groups.
While the vaccine has been used in Europe and the United States, efforts are underway to expand its approval for children aged 12 to 17. The next batch of vaccines is expected to arrive from Japan in the coming days, further bolstering the vaccination campaign in Congo.
