The European Union provided the 100,000 doses of the MVA-BN vaccine—produced by the Danish company Bavarian Nordic—through HERA, the organization that oversees health emergencies within the EU.
More 100,000 are anticipated to be delivered on Saturday, according to Congolese officials. Following the vaccine delivery, Congo’s Health Minister Roger Kamba informed media that UNICEF would oversee the immunization drive in the most affected districts.
However, it was still unclear when the immunization campaign will start. Western allies including the US and the EU have committed to providing roughly 380,000 doses of the mpox vaccine, according to a statement made to reporters last week by Dr. Jean Kaseya, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
At the center of the global health disaster, the Congo, 3 million pills are required to put an end to the mpox epidemics, according to officials. That is less than 15% of that total.
According to the organization, the number of mpox cases increased by 200% in the last week, with over 22,800 cases and 622 deaths reported across the continent. In Congo, where the novel mpox form was initially discovered and where children under the age of 15 account for the majority of illnesses and fatalities, mpox is most common.
Rich nations promptly responded to the global mpox outbreak in 2022 by releasing vaccines and cures from their stockpiles. Nevertheless, despite cries from African governments, very few dosages have made it there, resulting in a significant disparity.
The MVA-BN vaccine is approved for use in adults and has been used in both Europe and the United States, according to the European Union. The European Medicines Agency is currently reviewing further information in order to potentially administer it to children between the ages of 12 and 17 by the end of the month.
According to Laurent Muschel, the Director-General of HERA, 215,000 pills were promised and bought for an undisclosed sum with the express purpose of being handed to Congo. 10,000 doses of mpox vaccinations were sent by the United States to Nigeria last week, where the illness has been widespread.
Since the current outbreaks, this is the first contribution to Africa that is known to exist. The Nigerian CDC reports that 40 cases of the virus have been reported in Nigeria so far this year.
References and Citation
von.gov.ng – Congo Receive First 100,000 Doses Of Mpox Vaccine
theguardian.com – DRC receives first donation of 100,000 mpox vaccines to contain outbreak
africacdc.org – Joint Press Release: The Democratic Republic of Congo receives first Mpox vaccines
thehindu.com – The first 100,000 doses of mpox vaccine reach Congo. But it’s a fraction of what is needed