The first shipment of 100,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine, donated by the European Union through HERA, has arrived in Congo's capital, Kinshasa. This comes after the World Health Organization declared mpox outbreaks in 12 African countries a global emergency.
Another 100,000 doses of the vaccine are expected to be delivered on Saturday, with a total of 380,000 doses promised by Western partners to combat the outbreaks in Congo, where the majority of cases and deaths have been reported.
UNICEF will oversee the vaccination campaign in the most affected provinces, although the exact start date of the drive remains uncertain.
The MVA-BN vaccine, which has been used in Europe and the United States, is authorized for adult use. Efforts are underway to extend its use to children aged 12 to 17, pending additional data review by the European Medicines Agency.
Despite the global response to the mpox outbreaks, there is a significant shortfall in vaccine doses reaching Africa, highlighting a stark inequity in access to healthcare resources.
The Africa CDC is developing a unified response plan for the outbreaks, which will be presented to African heads of state for consideration at a meeting in September.
While mpox had been spreading largely undetected in Africa for years, the current outbreaks are characterized by a shift in transmission patterns, affecting a broader demographic including children, pregnant women, and other vulnerable groups.
Nigeria recently received a donation of 10,000 mpox vaccine doses from the United States, marking the first known donation to Africa during the ongoing outbreaks.
The global health emergency underscores the need for collaborative efforts to address public health crises and ensure equitable access to life-saving interventions.
