The first shipment of mpox vaccine arrived in the Congolese capital on Thursday, three weeks after the World Health Organization declared outbreaks in 12 African countries a global emergency.
The European Union, through its emergency center HERA, donated 100,000 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine, produced by Danish Bavarian Nordic.
Another 100,000 doses are expected to arrive on Saturday, according to Congolese authorities.
UNICEF will monitor the vaccination campaign in the hardest-hit provinces, Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba announced. However, the start date of the vaccination drive is still unclear.
About 380,000 doses of mpox vaccine have been pledged by Western partners, including the EU and the United States, Dr. Jean Kaseya, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters last week.
A handout photo from the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ministry of Health shows the first batch of mpox vaccines being delivered at the airport, Kinshasa, DRC, September 5, 2024. (EPA photo)
That’s less than 15% of the 3 million doses authorities have said are needed to end mpox outbreaks in Congo, the epicenter of the global health crisis.
The organization said that since early 2024, Congo has reported more than 4,900 confirmed mpox cases, with over 629 associated deaths, marking a sharp escalation in both infections and deaths compared to previous years. Most mpox infections in the Congo are in children under the age of 15.
“These vaccines are critical to protecting our healthcare workers and vulnerable populations and to curb the spread of mpox,” Kaseya said Thursday.
After the 2022 global mpox outbreak, rich countries responded quickly with vaccines and treatments from their stockpiles. But only a few doses have reached Africa despite pleas from its governments.
The MVA-BN vaccine has already been used in Europe and the United States, the EU said, and it is approved for use in adults. The European Medicines Agency is examining additional data to potentially approve its use in children aged 12 to 17, which could happen by the end of the month.
A total of 215,000 doses were pledged and purchased for an undisclosed amount specifically to be donated to Congo, said Laurent Muschel, Director General of HERA.
Mercy Muthee Laker, the Congolese representative of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, praised the Congolese government for procuring some vaccines but noted that the promised doses “were quite few compared to the need that we see in the field.”
Other experts said it would likely take weeks before any vaccines are administered, given the financial resources and logistical planning required to distribute them in a large country with limited health infrastructure.
The United States said last week it was donating 10,000 doses of mpox vaccine to Nigeria, where the disease has been common. It is the first known donation to Africa since the current outbreaks. Nigeria has recorded 40 cases of the virus this year, according to Nigeria’s CDC.
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, had been spreading mostly undetected for years in Africa before the disease prompted the 2022 outbreak in more than 70 countries, said Dr. Dimie Ogoina, chair of the WHO emergency committee on mpox, told reporters last month.
“What we are witnessing in Africa now is different from the global outbreak of 2022. While that outbreak was predominantly focused on gay and bisexual men, mpox is now spreading in Africa through sexual transmission as well as close contact between children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups .
And while most people over 50 were likely vaccinated against smallpox — which can provide some protection against smallpox — that is not the case for Africa’s mostly young population, which Ogoina said is most susceptible.
The Africa CDC said it is working on a unified response plan for the outbreaks, which will be presented to African heads of state for consideration at a meeting in September.
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