Congo Receives First Batch Of Mpox Vaccine (Representational image @Pixabay)
Bringing hope, the Democratic Republic of Congo received its first batch of mpox vaccines. Health authorities hope that the vaccine will help in curbing the outbreak that has prompted the United Nations (UN) to declare a global public health emergency.
Congo is the epicenter of the recent outbreak of mpox, that has spread to the neighbouring countries and elsewhere, and lack of vaccines in Africa has tampered with the efforts to stop the spreading.
The vaccine was manufactured by Bavarian Nordic, and was donated by the European Union (EU). A plane carrying the vaccine touched down in the capital Kinshasa, said Reuters.
Samuel Roger Kamba Mulamba, health minister of Congo, told reporters that the vaccine had already proved its worth in the United States and would be rolled out to adults in Congo.
Also Read: What Is Mpox That Forced WHO To Declare Global Health Emergency?
“We know which provinces are heavily affected, notably Equateur and South Kivu… The idea is to contain the virus as quickly as possible”, he said.
The first delivery of 99,000 doses were already delivered, and a further delivery on Saturday will make the total to 200,000 doses, said Laurent Muschel, the head of the EU Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA).
The EU aims to deliver total of 566,000 doses to wherever needs are urgent, Muschel told Reuters. “Based on the number of cases, the next country (for deliveries) should be Burundi, but the country’s medical agency must authorise it”, he said.
The arrival of vaccines in the country is expected to address the huge inequity that has left African countries with no access to the two shots used in a 2022 global mpox outbreak, while they were largely available in Europe and the United States.
Also Read: Know How Prepared Is India For An Mpox Outbreak
Congo said it will launch vaccination campaign on October 8th, to allow time for a thorough awareness-raising campaign to overcome mistrust in some communities.
Mpox is a infection affecting humans and animals, it belongs to a group of viruses categorised as “Orthopoxvirus genus,” causing pox-like conditions including rash with bumps or blisters on the skin. The bumps are filled with fluid or pus and finally heal. The Mpox is akin to the now-extinct smallpox and other poxviruses like cowpox and vaccinia. Severe conditions include larger and widespread lesions in the mouth, eyes, and genitals. The condition might causes lung and blood infections.
